When
I was in grade school, I remember being taught songs and phrases in French by a
hand puppet named Henri (attached to a teacher). In high school everyone was required to take two years of a
foreign language and in college it became two semesters. At some point many people have had to
learn at least one additional language, whether in a school environment or at
home. Unless you really love languages or have a natural ability to pick them up, learning one can be frustrating. Besides the obvious
advantage of being able to communicate and participate more fully in different
cultures, why is learning a second language so important?
Well, based
on a study published by the American Academy of Neurology, being able to speak
a second language could potentially delay the onset of certain forms of
dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and vascular
dementia. In the study 648
individuals diagnosed with some form of dementia were evaluated. According to one of the researchers,
Suvarna Alladi, individuals who spoke more than one language exhibited later
onset forms of dementia (1).
Dementia
is characterized by the degeneration of neural functioning, impeding certain
activities controlled by the brain.
Acquiring a second language could potentially slow the progression of
dementia by prompting more brain activation, preventing a more rapid degeneration
due to the process of aging. In a
study performed on Chinese school children learning English as a second
language, MRIs were used to analyze their level of brain activity when reading
in a second language. Researchers
found that children reading in the second language demonstrated high levels of
brain activity in various regions of the brain (3). Perhaps this increased level of activation in different regions of the brain keeps the neurons healthy for a longer period of time. This makes sense because one common treatment for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, is the use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. These prevent acetylcholinesterase from breaking down acetylcholine, which allows a longer duration of activation in neurons (2). So, if you have learned or plan to learn a second language
keep in mind that it could potentially be beneficial to your health.
1. American Academy of Neurology. Nov. 2013.
Speaking a second language may
delay different dementias. ScienceDaily [Internet]. [cited 2013 Dec 2]. Available from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131106162529.htm.
2. Molina I, Colucci L, Fasanaro AM, Traini E, Amenta F. 2013. Efficacy of Memantine, Donepezil, or Their Association in Moderate-Severe Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review of Clinical Trials. The Scientific World Journal: 1-8.
3. Tan LH, Chen L, Yip V, Chan AHD, Yang J, Gao JH,
Siok WT. Feb. 2011. Activity levels in the left hemisphere caudate-fusiform circuit
predict how well a second language will be learned. PNAS 108(6): 2540-2544.
Such an interesting post! Many times in schools, especially K-12, students are told they have to learn a second language to fulfill a requirement...leading many to "quit" as soon as their two years or semesters are finished. However, if schools were to describe to students the amazing benefits that learning a second language has not only in their social life, but also in their overall health (i.e. delaying dementia), I believe students might have a desire to actually want to learn a second language. Is there any current research that indicates if learning a certain second language over another activates various regions of the brain more (i.e. Spanish vs French or a language that is closer to your native language versus one that isn't)? Also for this study, what types of dementia based on their severity and progression were tested? For those that did speak a second language, on average when did they get diagnosed with dementia versus those that did not?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, I just might continue on my journey in pursuing a second language fluently.
I am not aware of any research that differentiates the benefits of learning one particular second language over another. I would venture to guess that as long as the second language is different from the first language there would be a significant increase in brain activation. In terms of the delay in age of onset, the study found that bilingual individuals had a 4.5 year delay in onset of dementia. For the study monolingual individuals on average were diagnosed with dementia at 61.1 years, while bilingual individuals were diagnosed around 65.6 years of age. Finally, the forms of dementia the researchers focused on were Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and vascular dementia because these forms showed significant delayed onsets in bilingual individuals.
DeleteSeella,
ReplyDeleteIt is great to know that learning a second language can have both social and physical benefits! I would be interested to know if you came across any information about learning a second language after childhood and a difference in mental health benefits? It would seem to me that you may not experience the same benefits of later onset dementia but could still experience other benefits. It is truly amazing the number of benefits that learning a second language can have!
http://www.examiner.com/article/8-benefits-of-learning-a-second-language
I think the difference in benefits of learning a second language in childhood compared to adulthood depends more on the individual than a specific cut-off point. While there is a consensus that learning a second language at an early age of development correlates with greater success, there is no one specific indicator of why this is the case. In regards to your question of whether there would be a difference in the protective health benefit of learning a second language between adults and children, I would agree that there may be a decrease with age. If you were a child when you learned a second language, you would ultimately have a longer period of time where you were activating the brain when using the newly acquired language. A bilingual speaker who learned as an adult would probably experience activation, but compared to the years of experience obtained by a bilingual speaker who learned their second language in childhood this activation would only go so far.
DeleteGranena G, Long M, editors. 2013. Sensitive periods, language aptitude, and ultimate L2 attainment. Philadelphia: John Benjamins North America. 295 p.