Baycrest

12 • BrainMatters • Spring/Summer 2022 BOOST YOUR BRAIN HEALTH by Learning a New Language There are many reasons to learn a language. For some, it is a way to immerse themselves in a new culture, make new friends or open the door to travel. For others, it can be a way to connect to their roots. It is not uncommon to grow up speaking and understanding a language, only to lose it as we get older once we no longer use it. Whatever your reason, Baycrest research suggests that learning a new language is good for your brain health, even if you never become fluent. A recent study from Baycrest and York University found that older adults who studied Spanish showed significant improvements in certain critical cognitive skills, similar to those who engaged in brain training activities that targeted those skills. These results are remarkable, given that brain training focuses specifically on improving these aspects of cognition, while language learning does not. As well, those who learned Spanish reported greater enjoyment than those who engaged in brain training. "These results are exciting because they indicate that older adults can reap cognitive benefits from an enjoyable activity in which they might want to participate regardless of these benefits," says Dr. Jed Meltzer, Baycrest's Canada Research Chair in Interventional Cognitive Neuroscience, a neurorehabilitation scientist at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) and the lead author on this study. In the study, 76 older adults aged 65–75 were randomly assigned to one of three groups: language learning, brain training or a waitlist (with no language learning or brain training), which served as the control group. For 16 weeks, those in the language learning group spent 30 minutes a day, five days a week, learning Spanish using Duolingo, an online language learning app. Those in the brain training group spent the same amount of time but used BrainHQ by Posit Science. They found that participants in the language learning group showed similar improvements as the brain training group in two areas of cognition: working memory and executive function, that is, the ability to manage conflicting information, stay focused and avoid distractions. "The participants in the language learning group showed significant cognitive improvements without becoming nearly fluent in Spanish, which suggests that you don't have to be bilingual for your brain to benefit from working with another language," says Dr. Ellen Bialystok, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at York University, and adjunct scientist at the RRI. This is great news, and means it's never too late to learn another language and acquire some of the brain health benefits.

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