Effect of bilingualism on the cognitive and neuroimaging features of behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia

Javierre Pueyo, Paula

Effect of bilingualism on the cognitive and neuroimaging features of behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia

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Javierre Pueyo, P. Effect of bilingualism on the cognitive and neuroimaging features of behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia. 2020. handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10230/46523

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Abstract

Current research suggests that modifiable lifestyle factors can enhance the “cognitive reserve” and protect against age related cognitive decline. Hence, bilingualism, which is thought to improve executive functions, has recently been suggested to help patients coping with large brain damage before presenting symptoms, and therefore, delay the onset of dementia. The current project aims to provide a further understanding of the effect of bilingualism on the cognitive, behavioural, and neuroimaging features of the behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Thirty monolingual bvFTD, twenty-six bilingual bvFTD, and fifty-six age and education matched normal controls (NC) underwent neuropsychological and neurological examinations, and a high-quality Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) by specialists in the Memory Unit at Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. Linear regression models were conducted to assess the effect of bilingualism on the behavioural and cognitive measurements. Voxel-wise analyses were performed to further test differences in grey matter (GM) volumes between monolingual and bilingual patients. Our results did not evidence that bilingual bvFTD patients have a later age of onset or age at diagnosis than monolinguals patients. Moreover, bilingualism was not associated with differences in cognitive and behavioural performances, even when controlling for disease duration. Finally, neuroimaging analyses showed GM atrophy in the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal regions in bvFTD patients. However, we did not find significant differences in brain volume between bilinguals and monolinguals patients, even when controlling for the level of cognitive impairment. Overall, this study does not support that bilingualism has a positive effect in bvFTD. These results may indicate a bias of positivity in the current literature concerning bilingualism and dementia, and requires some additional study.