Bilingualism can save you from Alzheimer's: how knowledge of two languages ​​affects the brain

Knowing two or more languages ​​enriches us, allowing us to experience another culture, share our thoughts, and gain a deeper understanding of the world. But that's not all the benefits of bilingualism. As scientists from two Spanish research centers - the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) and the University of Pompeu Fabra (UPF) found out, active use of two languages ​​at once can protect you from cognitive decline associated with aging, writes. with the BBC.

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The fact that the use of two languages ​​to some extent protects people from senile dementia has been known for a long time.

“The prevalence of dementia in countries where two languages ​​are spoken is 50% lower than in regions where the population speaks only one language,” says UOC Professor Marco Calabria, who led the latest study. “We wanted to uncover the mechanism of resistance to cognitive disorders and mild Alzheimer’s disease. This is developed in bilinguals. We sought to learn about the dependence of the functioning of this protective mechanism on the degree of proficiency in two languages.”

The researchers chose the residents of Barcelona as volunteers, since almost everyone there is equally proficient in Spanish and Catalan, and among them were both perfectly healthy people and those who suffer from dementia or memory loss.

“We found that when people with higher levels of bilingualism were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, it was at a significantly later age than those who were passive users of one of the two languages,” explains Calabria.

On the subject: Knowledge of languages ​​makes a person more attractive: a survey

The professor himself believes that the constant use of two languages ​​and switching from one to the other serves as an excellent exercise for the brain.

According to the researcher, such linguistic gymnastics are also associated with other cognitive functions - for example, with the brain's executive system, which is activated when we perform several actions at the same time. It also allows you to easily switch from one language to another without confusing them in speech.

So when the executive system is disrupted in a cognitive disease, the bilingual brain has an effective alternative system to solve the problem. Moreover, the more actively both languages ​​are used and the better a native speaks them, the more reliably it is protected in neurological terms.

In fact, active bilingualism is an important factor in delaying symptoms of mild cognitive impairment—the preclinical phase of Alzheimer's.

Scientists are now hoping to find out if speaking two languages ​​helps stop the onset of Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.

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