Understanding structural plasticity in the bilingual brain: The Dynamic Restructuring Model

Research on the effects of bi-/multilingualism on brain structure has so far yielded variable patterns. Although it cannot be disputed that learning and using additional languages restructures grey (cortical, subcortical and cerebellar) and white matter in the brain, both increases and reductions in regional volume and diffusivity have been reported. This paper revisits the available evidence from simultaneous and sequential bilinguals, multilinguals, interpreters, bimodal bilinguals, children, patients and healthy older adults from the perspective of experience-based neuroplasticity. The Dynamic Restructuring Model (DRM) is then presented, a three-stage model accounting for, and reinterpreting, all the available evidence by proposing a time-course for the reported structural adaptations, and by suggesting that these adaptations are dynamic and depend on the quantity and quality of the language learning and switching experience. This is followed by suggestions for future directions for the emerging field of bilingualism-induced neuroplasticit

Graph theoretical analysis of functional network for comprehension of sign language

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 31571158, 31170969) and National Key Basic Research Program of China (2014CB846102), and a grant from the National Institutes of Health (R01 DC010997). We thank Yong He and Roel Willems for providing insightful comments to this study and Amie Fairs for proofreading the manuscript. No conflict of interest is declared.Peer reviewedPostprin

The Effects of Multilingualism on Brain Structure, Language Control and Language Processing

This chapter reviews a small but growing body of research that examines neuroplasticity stemming from multilingualism, specifically discussing some similarities and differences in brain structure and function stemming from in processing three or more languages, as a departure from bilingualism. The evidence comes from studies using magnetic resonance imaging to examine patterns of grey matter structure across cortical and subcortical regions, and aspects of white matter microstructure. This chapter also highlights the functional activation and temporal information of various processes that occur during language processing in multilinguals, while accounting for the influence of language background factors. It then discusses conflicting and agreeing evidence in the literature and attempts to consolidate the findings with suggestions based on contemporary frameworks such as the Dynamic Restructuring Model (Pliatsikas, 2020). In closing, the chapter highlights gaps and pose questions for future research directions in the field of multilingualism and neuroplasticity

Creating Appropriate Clinical Guidelines for The Bilingual Population with Acquired Brain Injuries

While there is a growing bilingual demographic in the United States, relatively little is known about treating this population should they experience a brain injury. This is a growing area of interest, as research has demonstrated that the acquisition of a second language promotes neuroplastic changes that then impact brain functioning pre- and post-brain-injury. Given bilingualism’s cognitive complexity, clinicians are left with challenges on how best to tailor treatment for brain-injured bilingual populations. Therefore, the focus of this review was to provide clinical recommendations to clinicians performing assessments with bilingual individuals with acquired brain injuries. The goal was for the guidelines provided to aid in the augmentation of appropriate strategies for neurorehabilitation to maximize linguistic, cognitive, and communicative improvement, leading to social readaptation and a better quality of life

Lexical access in bimodal bilinguals

175 p.En esta tesis se investiga el impacto de la modalidad lingüística (auditivo-oral en lenguas orales, viso-gestual en lenguas signadas) a través del papel que desempeñan las unidades sub-léxicas en el acceso léxico en castellano (observando la coactivación de la sílaba inicial y de la rima de las palabras) y en lengua de signos española (LSE) (estudiando la coactivación de la configuración manual y de la localización de los signos). Se realizaron varios experimentos del paradigma del. mundo visual grabando los movimientos oculares. Dos grupos de bilingües oyentes en castellano y LSE (28 signantes nativos y 28 signantes que aprendieron la LSE en la edad adulta) hicieron dos experimentos intra-lingüísticos en castellano y LSE (coactivación de una lengua a partir de estímulos de esa misma lengua) y dos inter-lingüísticos (activación paralela del castellano desde la LSE y viceversa). Un grupo de bilingües en castellano y euskera hizo también dos experimentos inter-lingüísticos. Los resultados de este estudio ayudan a identificar, por un lado, los aspectos del procesamiento del lenguaje que están condicionados por la presencia de la señal lingüística (palabras que se oyen o signos que se ven) y, por otro, los aspectos relacionados con las propiedades intrínsecas de cada lengua.Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Languag