People who speak more than two languages may lower their risk of
developing memory problems, according a study released today that will be
presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting in
Honolulu April 9 to April 16, 2011. "It appears speaking more than two
languages has a protective effect on memory in seniors who practice foreign
languages over their lifetime or at the time of the study," said study
author Magali Perquin, PhD, with the Center for Health Studies from the Public
Research Center for Health ("CRP-Santé") in Luxembourg. Perquin is
helping to lead the MemoVie study which involves a consortium of partners from
different hospitals and institutions.
The study involved 230 men and women with an average age of 73 who had spoken
or currently spoke two to seven languages. Of the participants, 44 reported
cognitive problems; the rest of the group had no memory issues. Researchers
discovered that those people who spoke four or more languages were five times
less likely to develop cognitive problems compared to those people who only
spoke two languages. People who spoke three languages were three times less
likely to have cognitive problems compared to bilinguals. In addition, people
who currently spoke more than two languages were also four times less likely to
have cognitive impairment. The results accounted for the age and the education
of the participants."Further studies are needed to try to confirm these
findings and determine whether the protection is limited to thinking skills
related to language or if it also extends beyond that and benefits other areas
of cognition," said Perquin.
American Academy of Neurology
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