Study: Children who master a second language have more efficient brain connections

Bilingualism is a nickname for people who match at least two or more languages ​​fluently. In Indonesia itself, there are many people, especially in big cities, who can speak foreign languages ​​fluently in addition to their mother tongue.

There are many benefits to being bilingual. Bilingual children generally have better cognitive abilities than their monolingual peers.

Previous research has shown that learning a second language can positively impact attention, healthy aging, and even recovery after brain injury.

The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital) McGill University and the University of Ottawa in Canada and the University of Zaragoza in Spain recently conducted a study explaining the role of bilingualism in psychology.

Research published in journals Communication biology it shows more effective communication between different regions of the brain.

In this study, scientists involved 151 respondents who spoke French, English, or both languages ​​and recorded their age when they started learning both languages.

Bilingual Research Process

To obtain data that could be used to answer the research question, the researchers used a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner to record whole brain connectivity. Unlike previous bilingualism research that only focused on specific brain regions, this research examines brain connectivity in isolation.

After the scan, it was revealed that participants who knew more than two languages ​​had more connections between brain regions than monolingual participants. In addition, connections also appeared to be stronger in those who learned a second language at a younger age.

This happens because neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to build connections within itself and adapt to the surrounding environment, is more elastic during childhood.

If we look further, this connection is stronger between the cerebellum and the left frontal cortex

Based on the results of the research, it was revealed that the brain does not work in isolation, but interacts with other regions to understand and produce language. This conclusion is in line with previous research.

In addition, research results also show that the efficiency of the whole brain helps with cognitive performance.

Recent studies reveal more about how bilingualism affects the brain connections we use to think, communicate and experience the world around us.

“Our research shows that learning a second language during childhood helps build a more efficient brain organization in terms of functional connectivity,” said Zeus Gracia Tabuenca, first author of the paper.

The researchers said, “Our findings show that the earlier a second language is learned, the more extensive the brain areas involved in neuroplasticity. This is why we observed higher cerebellar-cortical connections in earlier acquisition of a second language.”

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