Being bilingual 'slows brain ageing'

A study from the University of Edinburgh has suggested that being able to speak a second language could have a positive effect on the brain, even if it is learnt during adulthood. 

The research, published in 'Annals of Neurology', found that reading, verbal fluency and intelligence were all improved in a study of 262 people tested either aged 11 or in their 70s. During the study it was important to try and establish whether learning a second language improved cognitive functions or if people with better cognitive skills were more likely to speak more than one language.

However, Dr Thomas Bak, from the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said the study had found the answer.

The study used the intelligence tests of 262 Edinburgh-born individuals when they were 11 years old to examine whether their cognitive abilities had changed when they were re-tested in their 70s.

All participants were able to communicate in at least one other language apart from English, with 195 having learned a second language before the age of 18. It suggested that those who spoke two or more languages had significantly better cognitive abilities compared to what would have been expected from their baseline test.

The strongest effects were seen in general intelligence and reading, with them being present in those who had become bilingual as a child and those who had waited until adulthood.

According to Dr Bak, this pattern is "meaningful" and improvements in attention, focus and fluency are not explained by their original intelligence.

"These findings are of considerable practical relevance. Millions of people around the world acquire their second language later in life. Our study shows that bilingualism, even when acquired in adulthood, may benefit the aging brain."

However, he admitted that the study was unable to answer all the questions, such as whether learning two more languages would have a stronger effect than just learning an extra one, and whether actively speaking a second language is better than just knowing how to speak it.