Individual differences in bilingual experience modulate executive control network and performance: Behavioral and structural neuroimaging evidence

TY - JOUR

T1 - Individual differences in bilingual experience modulate executive control network and performance

T2 - Behavioral and structural neuroimaging evidence

AU - Gallo, Federico

AU - Novitskiy, Nikolay

AU - Myachykov, Andriy

AU - Shtyrov, Yury

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgements. The present study was supported by Russian Science Funding Information: Foundation Grant (project №19-18-00550) to the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2021/3

Y1 - 2021/3

N2 - Dual/multiple language use has been shown to affect cognition and its neural substrate, although the replicability of such findings varies, partially due to neglecting the role of interindividual variability in bilingual experience. To address this, we operationalized the main bilingual experience factors as continuous variables, investigating their effects on executive control performance and neural substrate deploying a Flanker task and structural magnetic resonance imaging. First, higher L2 proficiency predicted better executive performance. Second, neuroimaging results indicated that bilingualism-related neuroplasticity may peak at a certain stage of bilingual experience and eventually revert, possibly following functional specialization. Importantly, experienced bilinguals optimized behavioral performance independently of volumetric variations, suggesting a degree of performance gain even with lower GMV. Hence, the effects of bilingualism on cognition may evolve with experience, with improvements in functional efficiency eventually replacing structural changes. We conclude that individual differences in bilingual experience modulate cognitive and neural consequences of bilingualism.

AB - Dual/multiple language use has been shown to affect cognition and its neural substrate, although the replicability of such findings varies, partially due to neglecting the role of interindividual variability in bilingual experience. To address this, we operationalized the main bilingual experience factors as continuous variables, investigating their effects on executive control performance and neural substrate deploying a Flanker task and structural magnetic resonance imaging. First, higher L2 proficiency predicted better executive performance. Second, neuroimaging results indicated that bilingualism-related neuroplasticity may peak at a certain stage of bilingual experience and eventually revert, possibly following functional specialization. Importantly, experienced bilinguals optimized behavioral performance independently of volumetric variations, suggesting a degree of performance gain even with lower GMV. Hence, the effects of bilingualism on cognition may evolve with experience, with improvements in functional efficiency eventually replacing structural changes. We conclude that individual differences in bilingual experience modulate cognitive and neural consequences of bilingualism.

KW - bilingual experience factors

KW - bilingualism

KW - executive control

KW - region-based-morphometry

KW - structural MRI

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092673290&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/S1366728920000486

DO - 10.1017/S1366728920000486

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85092673290

SN - 1366-7289

VL - 24

SP - 293

EP - 304

JO - Bilingualism

JF - Bilingualism

IS - 2

ER -