22 research outputs found
Grey Matter Volume in the Cerebellum is Related to the Processing of Grammatical Rules in a Second Language: A Structural Voxel-based Morphometry Study
The experience of learning and using a second
language (L2) has been shown to affect the grey matter
(GM) structure of the brain. Importantly, GM density in
several cortical and subcortical areas has been shown to be
related to performance in L2 tasks. Here, we show that bilingualism
can lead to increasedGMvolume in the cerebellum, a
structure that has been related to the processing of grammatical
rules. Additionally, the cerebellar GM volume of highly
proficient L2 speakers is correlated to their performance in a
task tapping on grammatical processing in an L2, demonstrating
the importance of the cerebellum for the establishment and
use of grammatical rules in an L2