UTMB Newsroom • June 12, 2024 • 10:33 a.m.
A new collaborative study by researchers at The University of Texas Medical Branch and the University of Texas, Austin has revealed significant positive findings on the cognitive benefits of dual-language use among older Mexican Americans.
Published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the study demonstrates that Mexican American adults aged 65 and older who use both English and Spanish more equally exhibit better cognitive function compared to those who predominantly use one language.
“These findings suggest that bilingualism, especially the balanced use of two languages, provides a cognitive advantage in older age,” said Dr. Brian Downer, the lead author of the study and Associate Professor at the Department of Population Health & Health Disparities at UTMB. “This shows potential of dual-language use to enhance cognitive resilience and may have important implications for public health strategies aimed at reducing dementia risk, particularly in the Mexican American population” said Dr. Stephanie Grasso, a co-author of the study and Assistant Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at UT Austin.
The study explored the relationship between dual-language use and cognitive health in a large cohort of participants using data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE). This longitudinal study spanned two decades, providing a robust dataset for analyzing cognitive outcomes in relation to language use patterns.
The study found that older adults who use English and Spanish more equally scored significantly higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at baseline compared to those who predominantly use only one language. Specifically, medium and high dual-language users scored 1.91 and 3.03 points higher, respectively, than low dual-language users.
“The study has important implications for Alzheimer's disease and cognitive aging research,” said Downer. “Although the positive effects of bilingualism have been previously documented, our findings suggest a robust effect in Mexican Americans, who we know are at a greater risk for experiencing cognitive decline, which makes this finding particularly exciting”, said Grasso. As far as the broader implications of these findings go, Downer explained “Bilingualism could be a strategic component in public health initiatives aimed at reducing dementia risk among older Hispanic populations.”
The research is led by Downer along with co-authors and UTMB researchers Sadaf Milani and Neil Mehta, and Fernando Llanos Lucas Stephanie Grasso from The University of Texas at Austin. The research was supported by the Department of Population Health and Health Disparities and the Sealy Center on Aging at The University of Texas Medical Branch, along with contributions from the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences and the Department of Linguistics at The University of Texas at Austin. The study utilized publicly available data from the H-EPESE, a comprehensive cohort study of Mexican American older adults.
Downer goes into greater detail in the following video interview.
