Effects of Early and Late Bilingualism on Resting-State Functional Connectivity

Overview

Journal J Neurosci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2016 Jan 29

PMID 26818505

Citations 31

Authors

Jonathan A Berken

Xiaoqian Chai

Jen-Kai Chen

Vincent L Gracco

Denise Klein

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Significance Statement: Of current interest is how early life experience leaves its footprint on brain structure and function. In this regard, bilingualism provides an optimal way to determine the effects of the timing of language learning because a second language can be learned from birth or later in life. We used resting-state fMRI to look at simultaneous and sequential bilinguals who differed only in age of acquisition, and found stronger connectivity between language and cognitive control regions in bilinguals who learned their two languages simultaneously, a pattern that was associated with more efficient brain activation during speech. Our findings highlight how functional connections in the brain differ depending upon when learning takes place.

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