"Mastering a second language can pump up your brain in ways that seem to delay getting Alzheimer's disease later on," Associated Press report of scientist's findings.
It is too late for prevention for whoever we are dementia caregivers for, but we can continue to look at research for ourselves and others. Brains in which people are bilingual seem to be more flexible and have better executive control. Studies of people with Alzheimer's disease showed that people who were bilingual had Alzheimer's symptom onset 4-5 years later than people who were monolingual. While being bilingual did not prevent Alzheimer's disease, it appears that "the years of robust executive control provide a buffer so that symptoms don't become apparent as quickly, (Ellen Bialystok, psychology professor at York University in Toronto).
No comments:
Post a Comment