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.