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The behavioral and neurocognitive effects of bilingual experience on cognitive control and language processing: Implications for aging in two languages

Award Number: F32AG064810
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2023

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The behavioral and neurocognitive effects of bilingual experience on cognitive control and language processing: Implications for aging in two languages - Project Summary/Abstract Healthy aging negatively affects performance in specific aspects of cognitive and language function that are crucial for everyday life decisions and actions. Crucial to understanding and promoting successful aging is determining the impact of lifestyle factors such as bilingualism for particular neurocognitive functions. Bilinguals vary in their experience with respect to how, when, and where they use their languages, yet little research to date has examined the impact of diversity of bilingual experiences on language and cognitive function and brain organization. Here, we capitalize upon cutting edge cognitive neuroscience methods to investigate how differences in the social diversity of language use may modulate the impact of bilingualism on language and cognitive functioning over the adult lifespan. In doing so, this research will contribute to our knowledge about how the brain orchestrates its response to the demands of people’s life experiences and the extent to which neurobiological systems involved in language and cognitive control are plastic. This project has three specific aims. The first is to establish a link between the lifespan trajectory of language experience and how this may differentially modulate the impact of bilingualism on cognitive functioning. To examine variability in bilingual language experience, and cognitive control, French-English bilingual speakers ranging from 18-75 years of age will complete a battery of linguistic and cognitive measures. Participants will also be administered a new measure of language entropy, which characterizes diversity of language use across social spheres. Montreal provides a valuable test bed for testing the impact of these experiential factors while holding relatively constant other demographic factors that are known to influence language and cognitive functions (e.g., SES, education). Second, this proposal aims to determine the extent to which lifelong bilingualism provides compensation against age-related declines in language performance. We test to what extent cognitive control is engaged during language processing and how preserved cognitive control abilities in aging affects language performance. Finally, neuroimaging research shows that bilingualism is associated with structural differences in the brain; however, the extent to which bilinguals’ contexts of language use modulates these differences remains unclear. Thus, we aim to spell out the neural bases of adaptive changes related to bilingual language experience throughout the adult lifespan. Identifying these changes will not only have implications for further understanding healthy neuroplasticity and how the brain adapts to different kinds of experience, but will also lay the groundwork for understanding atypical brain development and neurological disorders (e.g., learning disabilities, stroke) in our increasingly bilingual population. Altogether, the cognitive and language science community at McGill University provides an environment that is exceptionally suited as a rich training ground in bilingualism and cognitive aging and in using neuroscience methods; this training will provide the applicant with interdisciplinary skills and knowledge as she moves towards an independent research career.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = -$1,063 )
2024	2022	THE ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING	845 ST SHERBROOKE W	MONTREAL	QC			CAN	Aging Research	000	3	3/22/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$1,063
2024	2022	REDACTED DUE TO PII		MONTREAL	QC			CAN	Aging Research	001	3	3/25/2024	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$0
														Subtotal = -$1,063

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = -$23,700 )
2023	2021	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Aging Research	002	2	5/15/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$11,850
2023	2021	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Aging Research	001	2	5/15/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2023	2020	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Aging Research	000	1	5/15/2023	NEW	-$11,850
														Subtotal = -$23,700

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $67,582 )
2022	2022	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Aging Research	001	3	9/12/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$11,950
2022	2022	REDACTED DUE TO PII		MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Aging Research	000	3	9/9/2022	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$55,632
														Subtotal = $67,582

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $65,994 )
2021	2021	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Aging Research	003	2	6/4/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$11,850
2021	2021	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Aging Research	002	2	6/3/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$54,144
2021	2020	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Aging Research	001	1	6/2/2021	NEW	$0
2021	2020	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ			CAN	Aging Research	000	1	6/2/2021	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $65,994

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $64,554 )
2020	2020	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ	H3A 0G4		CAN	Aging Research	001	1	3/23/2020	NEW	$0
2020	2020	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ	H3A 0G4		CAN	Aging Research	000	1	3/23/2020	NEW	$52,704
2020	2020	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ	H3A 0G4		CAN	Aging Research	002	1	3/25/2020	NEW	$11,850
2020	2020	ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING / MCGILL	845 RUE SHERBROOKE O	MONTREAL	PQ	H3A 0G4		CAN	Aging Research	003	1	3/25/2020	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $64,554

Grand Total All Awards = $173,367

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The behavioral and neurocognitive effects of bilingual experience on cognitive control and language processing: Implications for aging in two languages

Award Number: F32AG064810

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2023

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