Multilingual Individual Neurocognitive Differences in Middle Age Project

The objective of the Multilingual Individual Neurocognitive Differences in Middle Age Project (MIND-MAP) is to investigate how variation in multilingual engagement (e.g., context and intensity of L2 use) correlates to individual differences in neurocognitive adaptations in the mid-life age range. This age range is severely understudied in the relevant literatures, yet of critical importance as it is the immediate precursor period to when cognitive ageing (CA) becomes most prevalent. As such, MIND-MAP serves as a bridge between research mapping multilingual experience-related factors and individual differences in neurocognitive outcomes to research on multilingualism effects in CA. Herein we combine behavioral testing with brain recordings via electroencephalography (EEG). EEG is widely used in cognitive neuroscience to assess quality and quantity of overall brain wave oscillatory activity and the degree of communication between brain regions (functional connectivity) in response to stimuli and at rest. Combining behavior and neuroimaging modalities, MIND-MAP will examine specific domains of neurocognition adversely affected by CA that overlap with areas argued to be positively affected by multilingual experience precisely in the age range where revealing and understanding these correlations could be the most helpful, that is just prior to when CA progression is typically noted. Fine-tuning our understanding of the (potential) relationship between specific patterns of multilingualism and resulting neurocognitive adaptations is the first step to unlocking any future potential for capitalizing on it as a health initiative, which would have manifold societal repercussions.