Bilingualism among Individuals with and without Family History of Dementia

Past studies suggest older Americans from underrepresented groups, including African-Americans and Hispanic Americans, are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's than others. Several studies indicate people who learn multiple languages early in life may have better executive function (that is, the ability to carry out daily tasks) than people who become multi-lingual later in life or are not multi-lingual. These results suggest that early bilingualism or multilingualism common among Hispanic-Americans may promote overall brain health and possibly slow the onset of dementia later in life. However, the exact links in protecting against Alzheimer's and dementia remain unclear.