How to work out our brains at any age? Learning languages!

Neuroplasticity

Learning a new language changes your brain network both structurally and functionally, strengthens the brain. The more you use specific areas of your brain, the more it grows and gets stronger. A research studied 39 native English speakers' brains over a six-week period as half of the participants learned Chinese vocabulary. Of the subjects learning the new vocabulary, those who were more successful in attaining the information showed a more connected brain network than both the less successful participants and those who did not learn the new vocabulary. The researchers also found that the participants who were successful learners had a more connected network than the other participants even before learning took place. A better-integrated brain network is more flexible and efficient, making the task of learning a new language easier. The efficiency of brain networks was defined by the researchers in terms of the strength and direction of connections, or edges, between brain regions of interest, or nodes. The stronger the edges going from one node to the next, the faster the nodes can work together and the more efficient the network. Participants each underwent two MRI scans, one before the experiment began and one after in order for the researchers to track neural changes. At the end of the study period, the researchers found that the brains of the successful learners had undergone functional changes: the brain network was better integrated. Such changes are consistent with anatomical changes that can occur in the brain as a result of learning a second language, no matter the age of the learner. A very interesting finding is that, contrary to previous studies, the brain is much more plastic than we thought. We can still see anatomical changes in the brain, which is very encouraging news for aging. And learning a new language can help lead to more graceful aging. The process of learning a second language as an adult can in fact lead to both behavioral and physical changes that may approximate the patterns of learning a language as a child.

Thanks to The National Science Foundation.