Memory boost When researchers from Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute in Canada looked at the medical records of more than 200 patients who had been diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease, they found that those who spoke two or more languages showed a delay in symptoms – in some cases up to five years. The individuals who displayed this delay spoke the different languages consistently over many years. The study was done in Canada, where many people speak both French and English – both are official languages there. "Our bilinguals were people who knew two or more languages and used them on a daily basis," says lead study author Professor Fergus Craik, of the University of Toronto. "Typically they had learned their second language in childhood or early adulthood, and in our sample, they were people who used their 'family language' at home (Polish, French, Yiddish, Chinese and so on) and English at school or work."
The researchers are quick to point out that this is does not necessarily mean that if you speak two languages, you won’t develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s before another person who speaks only one language, but it does indicate being bilingual may do something to the brain that helps it remain in better shape despite the disease. Professor Craik said that being bilingual may 'contribute to cognitive reserve in the brain'.
While the bilingualists' brains showed deterioration caused by the Alzheimer’s, it seems their linguistic skills somehow maintain other parts of the brain related to memory and cognitive thinking, such as problem solving and planning.
First published November 11, 2010