Introducing bilingual experience as a healthy cognitive aging tool: the cognitive effects of bilingualism across the adult lifespan and language learning in older adults with varying levels of cognitive decline

The global population is aging, and cognitive health in later life is a growing concern. While learning and speaking multiple languages seems to positively affect brain function, there is still much uncertainty about under what circumstances this emerges. In her PhD research, Floor van den Berg explored how multilingual experience might influence cognitive aging.
Part I of the research focused on the relationship between multilingualism and cognitive performance in older adults in the northern Netherlands. For this, Van den Berg used data from Lifelines, a population study of residents in Groningen, Fryslân, and Drenthe. The results showed that a higher number of learned languages was associated with better cognitive performance in later life. However, the diversity of multilingual language use among Frisian-Dutch and Low Saxon-Dutch speakers had a negligible impact on cognition.
In Part II, it was examined whether learning an additional language in later life could improve the cognitive function of older adults. Older adults who learned English performed better on tasks measuring cognitive flexibility and memory after participating in the course. This effect was particularly strong for those older adults with early signs of memory problems. However, it did not seem to matter whether one learned a language or engaged in another cognitive challenge, such as learning to play the guitar.
Overall, Van den Berg's research suggests that multilingualism as a cognitive challenge can play a role in maintaining and improving cognitive health in later life, but the specific circumstances and mechanisms remain subjects for further investigation.