Trend Cogn Sci：双语能力或可延缓老年痴呆症发病

加拿大一项最新研究发现，运用两种语言能增强认知储备，防止认知衰退，因此可能推迟患老年痴呆症的时间。相关研究报告3月30日在线刊登在英国学术刊物《Trends in Cognitive Sciences》上

研究显示，在医院记录的老年痴呆症患者研究对象中，说双语的患者被确诊为老年痴呆症的平均年龄为78.6岁，说单语的患者被确诊为老年痴呆症的平均年龄为75.4岁。

研究还发现，单语患者有着良好的教育程度和职业地位，从而表明这些因素对老年痴呆症发病产生的影响没有像语言能力那样大。

研究人员认为，双语能力能起到保护认知储备的作用，即从生理上和精神上刺激大脑可以防止认知退化。论文的主要作者、约克大学心理系教授埃伦滕·比亚韦斯托克说：“我们的结论是，终身运用两种语言的经历对特定的大脑网络进行重组，从而为执行控制能力创造更为有效的基础，并维持有生之年良好的认知表现。”

比亚韦斯托克表示，双语能力让一个人在从儿童到老年的不同人生阶段都能受益，而认识到双语能力对认知储备的影响对于老年人来说具有越来越重要的意义。（生物谷 bioon.com）

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2012.03.001
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Bilingualism: consequences for mind and brain

Ellen Bialystok, Fergus I.M. Craik, and Gigi Luk

Building on earlier evidence showing a beneficial effect of bilingualism on children's cognitive development, we review recent studies using both behavioral and neuroimaging methods to examine the effects of bilingualism on cognition in adulthood and explore possible mechanisms for these effects. This research shows that bilingualism has a somewhat muted effect in adulthood but a larger role in older age, protecting against cognitive decline, a concept known as cognitive reserve. We discuss recent evidence that bilingualism is associated with a delay in the onset of symptoms of dementia. Cognitive reserve is a crucial research area in the context of an aging population; the possibility that bilingualism contributes to cognitive reserve is therefore of growing importance as populations become increasingly diverse.