Bilingualism Keeps Your Brain Sharp
Dr. Daniela Perani, Alzheimer's disease researcher, performed memory tests and brain scans on 85 seniors with Alzheimer’s disease. Of the 85 individuals being studied, 45 of the participants were bilingual and the remaining were monolingual.
The results revealed in the article, "Bilingualism offers protection against Alzheimer's Disease," proved that the bilingual test subjects had higher cognitive response and performance levels than monolinguals.
During the study, Dr. Perani also discovered bilinguals who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Although their cognitive abilities were not as sharp as they were before they developed Alzheimer's disease, their cognitive performance remained well above the monolingual individuals without Alzheimer's disease.
“Our finding suggests that in bilingual patients with Alzheimer’s dementia both mechanisms are at play, since neuronal loss is accompanied by compensatory increase of connectivity, allowing bilingual patients to maintain high neuropsychological performance and cognitive functioning longer than monolingual [patients].” - Dr. Perani
Studies have also revealed that bilingualism promotes healthy brain functioning and the ability to multi-task efficiently. Find out how you can keep your brain 'sharp' by clicking here!