The effects of bilingualism on brain structure

It is widely accepted that all languages known by an individual are simultaneously active at any time and compete for comprehension and production; therefore, bilinguals must constantly make quick and efficient decisions as to which language to use. This causes additional language control demands which do not apply to monolinguals and may relate to the intensity of the bilingual experience. Long term exposure to these demands is suggested to positively affect general cognitive skills beyond language (e.g. attention), and crucially, the structure and connectivity of the brain regions that serve these skills. In this talk, we will go through the mechanisms involved in bilingual language control, visit the brain regions that appear to be affected by bilingualism, and discuss the implication of these effects for brain development, healthy ageing and neuropathology.

Christos Pliatsikas is an Associate Professor at the University of Reading (UK) and Chair of the International Symposium of Bilingualism (ISB). His research background is in the fields of Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, with a focus on bilingual acquisition and processing. His research focuses on experience-based neuroplasticity, with a primary interest in the effects of bi-/multilingualism on brain structure and function, investigated with behavioural and MRI (functional and structural) methods.