SynthesisFrontiers in aging neuroscience2021
Does Second Language Learning Promote Neuroplasticity in Aging? A Systematic Review of Cognitive and Neuroimaging Studies.
Synthesis in Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Meditation Training and Non-Native Language Training on Cognition in Older Adults: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- Cognitive and Neural Preservation in Older Language Learners: The CNPOLL Framework.Journal of psycholinguistic research · 2026Review
- Baseline cognitive status and adherence are associated with cognitive change following language learning in older adults: an exploratory study.Frontiers in aging · 2026Article
- The influence of foreign language and a word-color unitization strategy on the age-related associative deficit.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Brain-Inspired Multisensory Learning: A Systematic Review of Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Outcomes in Adult Multicultural and Second Language Acquisition.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- Effects of an 18-month meditation training on dynamic functional connectivity states in older adults: Secondary analyses from the Age-Well randomized controlled trial.Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2025Article
- Theoretical Considerations on the Literacy-Metacognition Nexus: Exploring the Linguistic-Cognitive Landscape of Young Multilingual Minds.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Lenition in L2 Spanish: The Impact of Study Abroad on Phonological Acquisition.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- The effect of second language acquisition on central auditory processing abilities and its interaction with HIV.Frontiers in language sciences · 2024Article
- A Novel Method of Teaching English to People with Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Songs: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2023Article
- Foreign language learning can improve response inhibition in individuals with lower baseline cognition: Results from a randomized controlled superiority trial.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2023Article
- Impact of an 18-month non-native language intervention on episodic memory and the underlying neural mechanisms in cognitively unimpaired older adults.Alzheimer's & dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands)Article
- Beneficial effects of foreign language learning and aerobic exercise on dentate gyrus volume and mnemonic discrimination in healthy older adults: Results from a randomized controlled trial.Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
As the population ages, understanding how to maintain older adults' cognitive abilities is essential. Bilingualism has been linked to higher cognitive reserve, better performance in executive control, changes in brain structure and function relative to monolinguals, and delay in dementia onset. Learning a second language thus seems a promising avenue for cognitive enhancement in older adults. Our review aims to determine whether learning a foreign language in later life improves cognition and promotes neuroplasticity. We screened articles from the Pubmed, Scopus, and Science Direct databases to identify interventional studies using second language training in senior participants, including either cognition or neuroimaging as outcome measures. A total of nine articles were found, with only one neuroimaging study. Results from these studies are inconsistent, but tend to suggest that second language learning is associated with improvement in attentional switching, inhibition, working memory, and increased functional connectivity. We discuss the implications of these results, and suggest new directions and methodological recommendations for future research.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.