Multilingual Individual Neurocognitive Differences in Middle Age Project

Project Information

MIND-MAP

Grant agreement ID: 101065670

DOI

10.3030/101065670

Project closed

EC signature date 4 August 2022

Start date 15 February 2023

End date 14 February 2025

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 210 911,04

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITETET I TROMSOE - NORGES ARKTISKE UNIVERSITET
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MIND-MAP (Multilingual Individual Neurocognitive Differences in Middle Age Project)

Reporting period: 2023-02-15 to 2025-02-14

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The Multilingual Individual Neurocognitive Differences in Middle Age Project (MIND-MAP) addresses the growing need to understand how multilingualism impacts cognitive aging. With an increasingly multilingual and aging population, it is vital to investigate how engagement with multiple languages can influence brain function and cognitive performance, particularly in the years preceding age-related cognitive decline (CA). MIND-MAP aims to bridge research on multilingualism and cognitive aging by examining neurocognitive adaptations, with a particular focus on middle-aged participants, a group substantially underrepresented in existing research.
The project is motivated by the observation that while multilingualism has often been linked to cognitive benefits, these findings do not always replicate consistently. There is a need to better understand what aspects of multilingualism correlate with positive neurocognitive outcomes. MIND-MAP acknowledges that lifestyle factors, including education, physical exercise, dietary habits, and cognitive engagement, can also influence cognitive aging. Therefore, MIND-MAP aims to control for these factors, seeking to highlight the independent contribution of multilingualism to healthier cognitive aging. Specifically, MIND-MAP investigates whether the intensity and context of using multiple languages correlate with neurocognitive adaptations.
MIND-MAP combines behavioral testing with brain recordings using electroencephalography (EEG) to assess cognitive control and brain function. EEG is a non-invasive technique that measures electrical activity in the brain. Using this method we are examining the power of different brain waves. These brain waves, like alpha and theta are associated with different brain functions. By measuring the strength or 'power' of these brain waves, we can gain insights into how the brain is working both during cognitive tasks and at rest.
Project Pathway to Impact
The MIND-MAP project is expected to contribute to:
1. Scientific Knowledge: Providing insights into the relationship between multilingual experience, cognitive control and brain function, using both behavioral and EEG data.
2. Policy Development: MIND-MAP’s findings can be potentially used to promote policies that encourage and support multilingualism as a valuable tool, particularly in the context of aging. By understanding the effect of engagement with multiple languages, policies can be tailored to maximize the positive impact on cognitive health across the lifespan. This includes informing educational initiatives, language learning programs, and public health campaigns.
Role of Social Sciences and Humanities
MIND-MAP primary focus is to explore the neurocognitive mechanisms through which multilingualism may contribute to healthy aging. In doing so, the project relies on the integration of social sciences and humanities to better contextualize the multifaceted nature of multilingual experiences. MIND-MAP recognizes that multilingualism is a highly dynamic and diverse phenomenon shaped by individual linguistic history, sociocultural environment, and patterns of language use. Therefore, in addition to assessing neural activity and cognitive performance, the project incorporates questionnaires and interviews to better understand not only participants' language experiences but also to take into account their lifestyle in general. By integrating these diverse data streams, MIND-MAP seeks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how multilingualism interacts with neural processes and life experiences to promote cognitive well-being across the lifespan.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

As part of the MIND-MAP project's investigation into the effects of multilingualism across the lifespan, several interconnected experimental studies have been developed and conducted.
To assess cognitive control and associated neural activity, the MIND-MAP project employed two experimental paradigms: the Flanker task and the AX-CPT (on task EEG recordings), complemented by the recordings of brain activity at rest. This has involved the recruitment and testing of over two hundred participants in total, encompassing a wide age range from 18 to 82 years. For example, 122 bi-/multilingual individuals were analyzed in the Flanker dataset alone.
Central to our project was a careful assessment of each participant's multilingual engagement. To this end, the Language History Questionnaire 3.0 (LHQ 3.0) was administered. The original measure of multilingual engagement was refined to better represent the role of the intensity of engagement with multiple languages. We also analyzed data from multiple other questionnaires which tap into social health and extent of social networks, physical activity, and dietary patterns.
To address the main research questions of our project statistical analyses were conducted on collected experimental data, encompassing both behavioral and EEG measures. This involved the development and refinement of specialized scripts within various programming environments. The results of the Flanker study have been recently submitted for publication representing a significant milestone in MIND-MAP's investigation of cognitive control. While MIND-MAP relied on available Flanker task already adapted for EEG research, the AXCPT paradigm, another crucial component of the, required significant development. Specifically, an EEG-compatible version of the AXCPT paradigm had to be created and thoroughly tested before being integrated into MIND-MAP's extensive testing protocol. Although experimental data from the AXCPT study has already been collected, final analyses are ongoing and are anticipated to be completed in the near future.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

This Flanker study, conducted within the MIND-MAP framework, advances our understanding of multilingualism's impact on cognitive aging beyond the current state of the art in several key ways. First, it uniquely bridges resting-state and task-based EEG activity in a lifespan sample of multilinguals, providing a more comprehensive picture of how multilingual engagement influences brain function. Previous research has largely focused on either resting-state connectivity in younger adults or task-related brain dynamics, leaving a gap in our understanding of how multilingualism shapes baseline neural activity and its subsequent impact on cognitive task performance across the whole lifespan.
The finding that multilingual engagement appears to slow down age-related decline in alpha and theta power levels at rest, as well as enhance inhibitory control in older adults (as evidenced by reduced Flanker congruency effects), has significant implications for promoting healthy cognitive aging. This suggests that multilingualism acts potentially as a lifestyle factor that could mitigate the process of the age related cognitive decline. By demonstrating the link between multilingualism, neural activity, and cognitive performance, MIND-MAP contributes to a growing body of evidence supporting the cognitive benefits of multilingualism (at least under some circumstances).

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