Being exposed to a second language from birth can be a great advantage for children and not only because mastering two or more languages expands their educational and communication options with people from other cultures, but because it can also be beneficial for their intellectual development. . This is because neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to create internal connections and adapt to the environment around it, is greatest during childhood, when the brain forms new pathways in response to stimuli such as language.
Previous research has shown that learning a second language can have positive effects on attention, healthy aging, and even recovery after brain injury, and a new study by The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) at McGill University , the University of Ottawa and the University of Zaragoza in Spain, expands knowledge about the role of bilingualism in cognition, showing greater efficiency in communication between different brain regions. Their results have been published in the journal Communications Biology.
Global brain efficiency improves cognitive performance
The scientists recruited 151 participants who spoke French, English, or both languages, recording the age at which they learned their second language. Participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to analyze global brain connectivity, rather than focusing on specific areas, as in previous studies on bilingualism.
fMRI imaging revealed that bilingual participants showed greater connectivity between brain regions compared to monolinguals, and this connectivity was stronger in those who learned their second language at an early age. This effect was particularly notable between the cerebellum and the left frontal cortex.
The results coincide with previous studies that have shown that brain regions do not function in isolation, but rather interact with each other to understand and produce language. Additionally, overall brain efficiency has been shown to improve cognitive performance.
Exposure to a bilingual environment from birth can activate a series of biochemical processes that promote the brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections.
This recent study provides more information about how bilingualism influences the brain connections we use to think, communicate, and perceive the world around us. In their conclusions collected in the scientific article, the researchers suggest that exposure to a bilingual environment from birth can activate a series of biochemical processes that promote neuroplasticity, that is, the brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections. This process helps strengthen language-related brain areas and creates stronger pathways between brain regions, facilitating more efficient use of language.
On the other hand, although it is possible to learn a second language at any age, the study highlights that the brain is more flexible and receptive during childhood. If a second language is learned after the periods of greatest brain plasticity have closed, the brain continues to adapt, but the mechanisms it uses are different and less optimal compared to those activated in the first years of life.
In summary, this work reinforces the idea that learning a second language in childhood is not only beneficial for language acquisition, but also contributes to more efficient brain organization. However, the brain maintains its ability to adapt to language learning at any time in life, although with different mechanisms than in childhood.
