Bilinguals use language-control brain areas more than monolinguals to perform non-linguistic switching tasks

PLoS One. 2013 Sep 13;8(9):e73028. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073028. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that early bilinguals use language-control brain areas more than monolinguals when performing non-linguistic executive control tasks. We do so by exploring the brain activity of early bilinguals and monolinguals in a task-switching paradigm using an embedded critical trial design. Crucially, the task was designed such that the behavioural performance of the two groups was comparable, allowing then to have a safer comparison between the corresponding brain activity in the two groups. Despite the lack of behavioural differences between both groups, early bilinguals used language-control areas--such as left caudate, and left inferior and middle frontal gyri--more than monolinguals, when performing the switching task. Results offer direct support for the notion that, early bilingualism exerts an effect in the neural circuitry responsible for executive control. This effect partially involves the recruitment of brain areas involved in language control when performing domain-general executive control tasks, highlighting the cross-talk between these two domains.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Brain / anatomy & histology
  • Brain / physiology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Executive Function / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Language
  • Linguistics
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Multilingualism*
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Task Performance and Analysis

Grants and funding

This work was supported by two grants of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology given to CA (the BrainGlot Project, CSD2007-00012 (funded by the Consolider-Ingenio 2010 programme), and the grant PSI2010-20168) and a grant given to AC (PSI2008 -01191). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.