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 behavioural and
physical changes that may approximate the patterns of learning a language as a
child.
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