Who is running this project?
This project is led by PhD student Tom Voits, under the supervision of Dr Christos Pliatsikas, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences.
What is this project about?
This research project explores the cognitive and neurological effects of bilingualism in healthy ageing populations. Recent research suggests speaking more than one language confers changes to brain and cognition. In particular, bilingualism-induced resilience against ageing-related changes in the brain has been suggested to maintain a healthier brain for longer and even delay the onset of dementia. As the effects bilingualism in the later years of life are relatively unexplored as of yet, this projects is addressing this gap in the literature via a longitudinal study employing a combination of neuroimaging (MRI) and behavioural techniques by directly addressing claims that bilingualism can provide protection against cognitive decline and brain deterioration in older age.
