Grant: Summer Program in Aging

The prevalence of dementia such as Alzheimer's Disease is growing as the Canadian population ages with no known cure available. More research is needed to identify feasible targets for intervention and treatment. Growing evidence suggests that cognitively stimulating tasks, such as speaking multiple languages, may lead to delayed onset of dementia due to an overlap between the functions of the brain regions aided by bilingualism and those linked to neurodegeneration in cognitive decline. The proposed study aims to identify specific aspect(s) of bilingualism (e.g., proficiency, fluency, age of acquisition of a second language) that confer cognitive reserve and delay cognitive decline in aging, such as in Alzheimer's Disease, with the long-term goal of identifying avenues to prevent cognitive decline in aging. Cognitive function and bilingual language experience will be analyzed as continuous variables in older adults with a range of cognitive function and will be correlated with resting state functional connectivity in cognitive and language networks of the brain, as measured using resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. I hypothesize that language experience plays a mitigating role in delaying cognitive decline; specifically that greater bilingual language experience (e.g., proficiency, fluency and age of acquisition of a second language) will be linked to greater cognitive functioning as measured through neuropsychological assessment and increased intrinsic functional connectivity in cognitive and language networks of the brain as measured by resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Identification of specific aspects of bilingualism that support cognitive function will help guide future preventative non-invasive intervention strategies to delay the onset of cognitive decline in aging, in healthy aging, as well as clinical conditions such as Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease.