Déficit de zinc y cobre aumenta el riesgo de aborto espontáneo

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El déficit de cobre y zinc en las mujeres embarazadas puede ser un factor asociado al riesgo de aborto espontáneo.

Así lo concluyó una investigación de la Universidad de Granada (UGR), y próxima a publicarse en la revista Obstetrics and Gynaecology; basada en la evaluación clínica comparativa y seguimiento de 265 mujeres embarazadas, de las cuales 132 padecieron un aborto espontáneo a lo largo de un año y 133 presentaban un embarazo evolutivo.

Según el estudio, se detectaron en las concentraciones plasmáticas maternas de cobre y zinc; las cuales se relacionaban con la ocurrencia de un aborto espontáneo.

Para el doctor José Joaquín Hijona, autor de la investigación, «estos datos establecen la influencia estos oligoelementos en la aparición de abortos, aunque también lleva a considerar otras variables poco conocidas como la homocisteína, y la suplementación preconcepcional y prenatal con yodo y folatos.»

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El País

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Pág. 28: Más del 30% de los pacientes de urgencias están mal medicados

Pág. 30: Los exámenes de la discordia

Una fundación captará universitarios brillantes para la docencia

Universidad. Las tutorías mejoran el rendimiento

http://newcanalugr.ugr.es/medios-impresos/item/download/39073

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Learning a Second Language Protects Against Alzheimer’s

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Want to protect against the effects of Alzheimer’s? Learn another language.

That’s the takeaway from recent brain research, which shows that bilingual people’s brains function better and for longer after developing the disease.

Psychologist Ellen Bialystok and her colleagues at York University in Toronto recently tested about 450 patients who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Half of these patients were bilingual, and half spoke only one language.

While all the patients had similar levels of cognitive impairment, the researchers found that those who were bilingual had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s about four years later, on average, than those who spoke just one language. And the bilingual people reported their symptoms had begun about five years later than those who spoke only one language.

«What we’ve been able to show is that in these patients… all of whom have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and are all at the same level of impairment, the bilinguals on average are four to five years older — which means that they’ve been able to cope with the disease,» Bialystok said.

She presented her findings today (Feb. 18) here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Some results of this research were published in the Nov. 9, 2010 issue of the journal Neurology.

CT brain scans of the Alzheimer’s patients showed that, among patients who are functioning at the same level, those who are bilingual have more advanced brain deterioration than those who spoke just one language. But this difference wasn’t apparent from the patients’ behaviors, or their abilities to function. The bilingual people acted like monolingual patients whose disease was less advanced.

«Once the disease begins to compromise this region of the brain, bilinguals can continue to function,» Bialystok said. «Bilingualism is protecting older adults, even after Alzheimer’s disease is beginning to affect cognitive function.»

The researchers think this protection stems from brain differences between those speak one language and those who speak more than one. In particular, studies show bilingual people exercise a brain network called the executive control system more. The executive control system involves parts of the prefrontal cortex and other brain areas, and is the basis of our ability to think in complex ways, Bialystok said.

«It’s the most important part of your mind,» she said. «It controls attention and everything we think of as uniquely human thought.»

Bilingual people, the theory goes, constantly have to exercise this brain system to prevent their two languages from interfering with one another. Their brains must sort through multiple options for each word, switch back and forth between the two languages, and keep everything straight.

And all this work seems to confer a cognitive benefit — an ability to cope when the going gets tough and the brain is besieged with a disease such as Alzheimer’s.

«It’s not that being bilingual prevents the disease,» Bialystok told MyHealthNewsDaily. Instead, she explained, it allows those who develop Alzheimer’s to deal with it better.

Moreover, other research suggests that these benefits of bilingualism apply not only to those who are raised from birth speaking a second language, but also to people who take up a foreign tongue later in life.

«The evidence that we have is not only with very early bilinguals,» said psychologist Teresa Bajo of the University of Granada in Spain, who was not involved in Bialystok’s research. «Even late bilinguals use these very same processes so they may have also the very same advantages.»

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Speaking 2 languages may delay getting Alzheimer’s

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Mastering a second language can pump up your brain in ways that seem to delay getting Alzheimer’s disease later on, scientists said Friday.

Never learned to habla or parlez? While the new research focuses mostly on the truly long-term bilingual, scientists say even people who tackle a new language later in life stand to gain.

The more proficient you become, the better, but «every little bit helps,» said Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto.

Much of the study of bilingualism has centered on babies, as scientists wondered why simply speaking to infants in two languages allows them to learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. Their brains seem to become more flexible, better able to multitask. As they grow up, their brains show better «executive control,» a system key to higher functioning – as Bialystok puts it, «the most important part of your mind.»

But does that mental juggling while you’re young translate into protection against cognitive decline when you’re old?

Bialystok studied 450 Alzheimer’s patients, all of whom showed the same degree of impairment at the time of diagnosis. Half are bilingual – they’ve spoken two languages regularly for most of their lives. The rest are monolingual.

The bilingual patients had Alzheimer’s symptoms and were diagnosed between four and five years later than the patients who spoke only one language, she told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Being bilingual does nothing to prevent Alzheimer’s disease from striking. But once the disease does begin its silent attack, those years of robust executive control provide a buffer so that symptoms don’t become apparent as quickly, Bialystok said.

«They’ve been able to cope with the disease,» she said.

Her work supports an earlier study from other researchers that also found a protective effect.

What is it about being bilingual that enhances that all-important executive control system?

Both languages are essentially turned on all the time, but the brain learns to inhibit the one you don’t need, said psychology professor Teresa Bajo of the University of Granada in Spain. That’s pretty constant activity.

That’s not the only area. University of British Columbia psychologist Janet Werker studies infants exposed to two languages from birth to see why they don’t confuse the two, and says bilingual babies learn very early to pay attention better.

Werker tested babies in Spain who were growing up learning both Spanish and Catalan. She showed the babies videos of women speaking languages they’d never heard – English and French – but with the sound off. By measuring the tots’ attention span, Werker concluded that babies could distinguish between English and French simply by watching the speakers’ facial cues. It could have been the different lip shapes.

«It looks like French people are always kissing,» she joked, while the English «th» sound evokes a distinctive lip-in-teeth shape.

Whatever the cues, monolingual babies couldn’t tell the difference, Werker said Friday at the meeting.

But what if you weren’t lucky enough to be raised bilingual? Scientists and educators know that it becomes far harder to learn a new language after puberty.

Partly that’s because adults’ brains are so bombarded with other demands that we don’t give learning a new language the same attention that a young child does, Bialystok said.

At the University of Maryland, scientists are studying how to identify adults who would be good candidates to master a new language, and then what types of training are best. Having a pretty strong executive control system, like the lifelong bilinguals have, is among the good predictive factors, said Amy Weinberg, deputy director of the university’s Center for Advanced Study of Language.

But people don’t have to master a new language to benefit some, Bialystok said. Exercising your brain throughout life contributes to what’s called cognitive reserve, the overall ability to withstand the declines of aging and disease. That’s the basis of the use-it-or-lose-it advice from aging experts who also recommend such things as crossword puzzles to keep your brain nimble.

«If you start to learn at 40, 50, 60, you are certainly keeping your brain active,» she said.

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Ideal

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Pág. 8 y 9: Los malos humos de la ciudad

Pág. 14 y 15: Pobre Granada rica

DXT – Pág. 4: Los equipos uno a uno

Pág. 63: La Universidad edita el libro ‘Las Cruzadas’

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Granada Hoy

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Pág. 21: La nave de los locos

Deportes – Pág. 29: Polideportivo. Partidos del domingo

Deportes – Pág. 30: Polideportivo. Clasificaciones

Descarga por URL: http://newcanalugr.ugr.es/medios-impresos/item/download/39067

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Speaking 2 languages may delay getting Alzheimer’s

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Mastering a second language can pump up your brain in ways that seem to delay getting Alzheimer’s disease later on, scientists said Friday.

Never learned to habla or parlez? While the new research focuses mostly on the truly long-term bilingual, scientists say even people who tackle a new language later in life stand to gain.

The more proficient you become, the better, but «every little bit helps,» said Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto.

Much of the study of bilingualism has centered on babies, as scientists wondered why simply speaking to infants in two languages allows them to learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. Their brains seem to become more flexible, better able to multitask. As they grow up, their brains show better «executive control,» a system key to higher functioning – as Bialystok puts it, «the most important part of your mind.»

But does that mental juggling while you’re young translate into protection against cognitive decline when you’re old?

Bialystok studied 450 Alzheimer’s patients, all of whom showed the same degree of impairment at the time of diagnosis. Half are bilingual – they’ve spoken two languages regularly for most of their lives. The rest are monolingual.

The bilingual patients had Alzheimer’s symptoms and were diagnosed between four and five years later than the patients who spoke only one language, she told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Being bilingual does nothing to prevent Alzheimer’s disease from striking. But once the disease does begin its silent attack, those years of robust executive control provide a buffer so that symptoms don’t become apparent as quickly, Bialystok said.

«They’ve been able to cope with the disease,» she said.

Her work supports an earlier study from other researchers that also found a protective effect.

What is it about being bilingual that enhances that all-important executive control system?

Both languages are essentially turned on all the time, but the brain learns to inhibit the one you don’t need, said psychology professor Teresa Bajo of the University of Granada in Spain. That’s pretty constant activity.

That’s not the only area. University of British Columbia psychologist Janet Werker studies infants exposed to two languages from birth to see why they don’t confuse the two, and says bilingual babies learn very early to pay attention better.

Werker tested babies in Spain who were growing up learning both Spanish and Catalan. She showed the babies videos of women speaking languages they’d never heard – English and French – but with the sound off. By measuring the tots’ attention span, Werker concluded that babies could distinguish between English and French simply by watching the speakers’ facial cues. It could have been the different lip shapes.

«It looks like French people are always kissing,» she joked, while the English «th» sound evokes a distinctive lip-in-teeth shape.

Whatever the cues, monolingual babies couldn’t tell the difference, Werker said Friday at the meeting.

But what if you weren’t lucky enough to be raised bilingual? Scientists and educators know that it becomes far harder to learn a new language after puberty.

Partly that’s because adults’ brains are so bombarded with other demands that we don’t give learning a new language the same attention that a young child does, Bialystok said.

At the University of Maryland, scientists are studying how to identify adults who would be good candidates to master a new language, and then what types of training are best. Having a pretty strong executive control system, like the lifelong bilinguals have, is among the good predictive factors, said Amy Weinberg, deputy director of the university’s Center for Advanced Study of Language.

But people don’t have to master a new language to benefit some, Bialystok said. Exercising your brain throughout life contributes to what’s called cognitive reserve, the overall ability to withstand the declines of aging and disease. That’s the basis of the use-it-or-lose-it advice from aging experts who also recommend such things as crossword puzzles to keep your brain nimble.

«If you start to learn at 40, 50, 60, you are certainly keeping your brain active,» she said.

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Speaking 2 languages may delay getting Alzheimer’s

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Mastering a second language can pump up your brain in ways that seem to delay getting Alzheimer’s disease later on, scientists said Friday.

Never learned to habla or parlez? While the new research focuses mostly on the truly long-term bilingual, scientists say even people who tackle a new language later in life stand to gain.

The more proficient you become, the better, but «every little bit helps,» said Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto.

Much of the study of bilingualism has centered on babies, as scientists wondered why simply speaking to infants in two languages allows them to learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. Their brains seem to become more flexible, better able to multitask. As they grow up, their brains show better «executive control,» a system key to higher functioning – as Bialystok puts it, «the most important part of your mind.»

But does that mental juggling while you’re young translate into protection against cognitive decline when you’re old?

Bialystok studied 450 Alzheimer’s patients, all of whom showed the same degree of impairment at the time of diagnosis. Half are bilingual – they’ve spoken two languages regularly for most of their lives. The rest are monolingual.

The bilingual patients had Alzheimer’s symptoms and were diagnosed between four and five years later than the patients who spoke only one language, she told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Being bilingual does nothing to prevent Alzheimer’s disease from striking. But once the disease does begin its silent attack, those years of robust executive control provide a buffer so that symptoms don’t become apparent as quickly, Bialystok said.

«They’ve been able to cope with the disease,» she said.

Her work supports an earlier study from other researchers that also found a protective effect.

What is it about being bilingual that enhances that all-important executive control system?

Both languages are essentially turned on all the time, but the brain learns to inhibit the one you don’t need, said psychology professor Teresa Bajo of the University of Granada in Spain. That’s pretty constant activity.

That’s not the only area. University of British Columbia psychologist Janet Werker studies infants exposed to two languages from birth to see why they don’t confuse the two, and says bilingual babies learn very early to pay attention better.

Werker tested babies in Spain who were growing up learning both Spanish and Catalan. She showed the babies videos of women speaking languages they’d never heard – English and French – but with the sound off. By measuring the tots’ attention span, Werker concluded that babies could distinguish between English and French simply by watching the speakers’ facial cues. It could have been the different lip shapes.

«It looks like French people are always kissing,» she joked, while the English «th» sound evokes a distinctive lip-in-teeth shape.

Whatever the cues, monolingual babies couldn’t tell the difference, Werker said Friday at the meeting.

But what if you weren’t lucky enough to be raised bilingual? Scientists and educators know that it becomes far harder to learn a new language after puberty.

Partly that’s because adults’ brains are so bombarded with other demands that we don’t give learning a new language the same attention that a young child does, Bialystok said.

At the University of Maryland, scientists are studying how to identify adults who would be good candidates to master a new language, and then what types of training are best. Having a pretty strong executive control system, like the lifelong bilinguals have, is among the good predictive factors, said Amy Weinberg, deputy director of the university’s Center for Advanced Study of Language.

But people don’t have to master a new language to benefit some, Bialystok said. Exercising your brain throughout life contributes to what’s called cognitive reserve, the overall ability to withstand the declines of aging and disease. That’s the basis of the use-it-or-lose-it advice from aging experts who also recommend such things as crossword puzzles to keep your brain nimble.

«If you start to learn at 40, 50, 60, you are certainly keeping your brain active,» she said.

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Speaking 2 languages may delay getting Alzheimer’s

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Mastering a second language can pump up your brain in ways that seem to delay getting Alzheimer’s disease later on, scientists said Friday.

Never learned to habla or parlez? While the new research focuses mostly on the truly long-term bilingual, scientists say even people who tackle a new language later in life stand to gain.

The more proficient you become, the better, but «every little bit helps,» said Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto.

Much of the study of bilingualism has centered on babies, as scientists wondered why simply speaking to infants in two languages allows them to learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. Their brains seem to become more flexible, better able to multitask. As they grow up, their brains show better «executive control,» a system key to higher functioning – as Bialystok puts it, «the most important part of your mind.»

But does that mental juggling while you’re young translate into protection against cognitive decline when you’re old?

Bialystok studied 450 Alzheimer’s patients, all of whom showed the same degree of impairment at the time of diagnosis. Half are bilingual – they’ve spoken two languages regularly for most of their lives. The rest are monolingual.

The bilingual patients had Alzheimer’s symptoms and were diagnosed between four and five years later than the patients who spoke only one language, she told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Being bilingual does nothing to prevent Alzheimer’s disease from striking. But once the disease does begin its silent attack, those years of robust executive control provide a buffer so that symptoms don’t become apparent as quickly, Bialystok said.

«They’ve been able to cope with the disease,» she said.

Her work supports an earlier study from other researchers that also found a protective effect.

What is it about being bilingual that enhances that all-important executive control system?

Both languages are essentially turned on all the time, but the brain learns to inhibit the one you don’t need, said psychology professor Teresa Bajo of the University of Granada in Spain. That’s pretty constant activity.

That’s not the only area. University of British Columbia psychologist Janet Werker studies infants exposed to two languages from birth to see why they don’t confuse the two, and says bilingual babies learn very early to pay attention better.

Werker tested babies in Spain who were growing up learning both Spanish and Catalan. She showed the babies videos of women speaking languages they’d never heard – English and French – but with the sound off. By measuring the tots’ attention span, Werker concluded that babies could distinguish between English and French simply by watching the speakers’ facial cues. It could have been the different lip shapes.

«It looks like French people are always kissing,» she joked, while the English «th» sound evokes a distinctive lip-in-teeth shape.

Whatever the cues, monolingual babies couldn’t tell the difference, Werker said Friday at the meeting.

But what if you weren’t lucky enough to be raised bilingual? Scientists and educators know that it becomes far harder to learn a new language after puberty.

Partly that’s because adults’ brains are so bombarded with other demands that we don’t give learning a new language the same attention that a young child does, Bialystok said.

At the University of Maryland, scientists are studying how to identify adults who would be good candidates to master a new language, and then what types of training are best. Having a pretty strong executive control system, like the lifelong bilinguals have, is among the good predictive factors, said Amy Weinberg, deputy director of the university’s Center for Advanced Study of Language.

But people don’t have to master a new language to benefit some, Bialystok said. Exercising your brain throughout life contributes to what’s called cognitive reserve, the overall ability to withstand the declines of aging and disease. That’s the basis of the use-it-or-lose-it advice from aging experts who also recommend such things as crossword puzzles to keep your brain nimble.

«If you start to learn at 40, 50, 60, you are certainly keeping your brain active,» she said.

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Speaking 2 languages may delay getting Alzheimer’s

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Never learned to habla or parlez? While the new research focuses mostly on the truly long-term bilingual, scientists say even people who tackle a new language later in life stand to gain.

The more proficient you become, the better, but «every little bit helps,» said Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto.

Much of the study of bilingualism has centered on babies, as scientists wondered why simply speaking to infants in two languages allows them to learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. Their brains seem to become more flexible, better able to multitask. As they grow up, their brains show better «executive control,» a system key to higher functioning – as Bialystok puts it, «the most important part of your mind.»

But does that mental juggling while you’re young translate into protection against cognitive decline when you’re old?

Bialystok studied 450 Alzheimer’s patients, all of whom showed the same degree of impairment at the time of diagnosis. Half are bilingual – they’ve spoken two languages regularly for most of their lives. The rest are monolingual.

The bilingual patients had Alzheimer’s symptoms and were diagnosed between four and five years later than the patients who spoke only one language, she told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Being bilingual does nothing to prevent Alzheimer’s disease from striking. But once the disease does begin its silent attack, those years of robust executive control provide a buffer so that symptoms don’t become apparent as quickly, Bialystok said.

«They’ve been able to cope with the disease,» she said.

Her work supports an earlier study from other researchers that also found a protective effect.

What is it about being bilingual that enhances that all-important executive control system?

Both languages are essentially turned on all the time, but the brain learns to inhibit the one you don’t need, said psychology professor Teresa Bajo of the University of Granada in Spain. That’s pretty constant activity.

That’s not the only area. University of British Columbia psychologist Janet Werker studies infants exposed to two languages from birth to see why they don’t confuse the two, and says bilingual babies learn very early to pay attention better.

Werker tested babies in Spain who were growing up learning both Spanish and Catalan. She showed the babies videos of women speaking languages they’d never heard – English and French – but with the sound off. By measuring the tots’ attention span, Werker concluded that babies could distinguish between English and French simply by watching the speakers’ facial cues. It could have been the different lip shapes.

«It looks like French people are always kissing,» she joked, while the English «th» sound evokes a distinctive lip-in-teeth shape.

Whatever the cues, monolingual babies couldn’t tell the difference, Werker said Friday at the meeting.

But what if you weren’t lucky enough to be raised bilingual? Scientists and educators know that it becomes far harder to learn a new language after puberty.

Partly that’s because adults’ brains are so bombarded with other demands that we don’t give learning a new language the same attention that a young child does, Bialystok said.

At the University of Maryland, scientists are studying how to identify adults who would be good candidates to master a new language, and then what types of training are best. Having a pretty strong executive control system, like the lifelong bilinguals have, is among the good predictive factors, said Amy Weinberg, deputy director of the university’s Center for Advanced Study of Language.

But people don’t have to master a new language to benefit some, Bialystok said. Exercising your brain throughout life contributes to what’s called cognitive reserve, the overall ability to withstand the declines of aging and disease. That’s the basis of the use-it-or-lose-it advice from aging experts who also recommend such things as crossword puzzles to keep your brain nimble.

«If you start to learn at 40, 50, 60, you are certainly keeping your brain active,» she said.

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Speaking 2 languages may delay getting Alzheimer’s

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Mastering a second language can pump up your brain in ways that seem to delay getting Alzheimer’s disease later on, scientists said Friday.

Never learned to habla or parlez? While the new research focuses mostly on the truly long-term bilingual, scientists say even people who tackle a new language later in life stand to gain.

The more proficient you become, the better, but «every little bit helps,» said Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto.

Much of the study of bilingualism has centered on babies, as scientists wondered why simply speaking to infants in two languages allows them to learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. Their brains seem to become more flexible, better able to multitask. As they grow up, their brains show better «executive control,» a system key to higher functioning – as Bialystok puts it, «the most important part of your mind.»

But does that mental juggling while you’re young translate into protection against cognitive decline when you’re old?

Bialystok studied 450 Alzheimer’s patients, all of whom showed the same degree of impairment at the time of diagnosis. Half are bilingual – they’ve spoken two languages regularly for most of their lives. The rest are monolingual.

The bilingual patients had Alzheimer’s symptoms and were diagnosed between four and five years later than the patients who spoke only one language, she told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Being bilingual does nothing to prevent Alzheimer’s disease from striking. But once the disease does begin its silent attack, those years of robust executive control provide a buffer so that symptoms don’t become apparent as quickly, Bialystok said.

«They’ve been able to cope with the disease,» she said.

Her work supports an earlier study from other researchers that also found a protective effect.

What is it about being bilingual that enhances that all-important executive control system?

Both languages are essentially turned on all the time, but the brain learns to inhibit the one you don’t need, said psychology professor Teresa Bajo of the University of Granada in Spain. That’s pretty constant activity.

That’s not the only area. University of British Columbia psychologist Janet Werker studies infants exposed to two languages from birth to see why they don’t confuse the two, and says bilingual babies learn very early to pay attention better.

Werker tested babies in Spain who were growing up learning both Spanish and Catalan. She showed the babies videos of women speaking languages they’d never heard – English and French – but with the sound off. By measuring the tots’ attention span, Werker concluded that babies could distinguish between English and French simply by watching the speakers’ facial cues. It could have been the different lip shapes.

«It looks like French people are always kissing,» she joked, while the English «th» sound evokes a distinctive lip-in-teeth shape.

Whatever the cues, monolingual babies couldn’t tell the difference, Werker said Friday at the meeting.

But what if you weren’t lucky enough to be raised bilingual? Scientists and educators know that it becomes far harder to learn a new language after puberty.

Partly that’s because adults’ brains are so bombarded with other demands that we don’t give learning a new language the same attention that a young child does, Bialystok said.

At the University of Maryland, scientists are studying how to identify adults who would be good candidates to master a new language, and then what types of training are best. Having a pretty strong executive control system, like the lifelong bilinguals have, is among the good predictive factors, said Amy Weinberg, deputy director of the university’s Center for Advanced Study of Language.

But people don’t have to master a new language to benefit some, Bialystok said. Exercising your brain throughout life contributes to what’s called cognitive reserve, the overall ability to withstand the declines of aging and disease. That’s the basis of the use-it-or-lose-it advice from aging experts who also recommend such things as crossword puzzles to keep your brain nimble.

«If you start to learn at 40, 50, 60, you are certainly keeping your brain active,» she said.

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Speaking 2 languages may delay getting Alzheimer’s

Escrito por

Mastering a second language can pump up your brain in ways that seem to delay getting Alzheimer’s disease later on, scientists said Friday.

Never learned to habla or parlez? While the new research focuses mostly on the truly long-term bilingual, scientists say even people who tackle a new language later in life stand to gain.

The more proficient you become, the better, but «every little bit helps,» said Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto.

Much of the study of bilingualism has centered on babies, as scientists wondered why simply speaking to infants in two languages allows them to learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. Their brains seem to become more flexible, better able to multitask. As they grow up, their brains show better «executive control,» a system key to higher functioning – as Bialystok puts it, «the most important part of your mind.»

But does that mental juggling while you’re young translate into protection against cognitive decline when you’re old?

Bialystok studied 450 Alzheimer’s patients, all of whom showed the same degree of impairment at the time of diagnosis. Half are bilingual – they’ve spoken two languages regularly for most of their lives. The rest are monolingual.

The bilingual patients had Alzheimer’s symptoms and were diagnosed between four and five years later than the patients who spoke only one language, she told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Being bilingual does nothing to prevent Alzheimer’s disease from striking. But once the disease does begin its silent attack, those years of robust executive control provide a buffer so that symptoms don’t become apparent as quickly, Bialystok said.

«They’ve been able to cope with the disease,» she said.

Her work supports an earlier study from other researchers that also found a protective effect.

What is it about being bilingual that enhances that all-important executive control system?

Both languages are essentially turned on all the time, but the brain learns to inhibit the one you don’t need, said psychology professor Teresa Bajo of the University of Granada in Spain. That’s pretty constant activity.

That’s not the only area. University of British Columbia psychologist Janet Werker studies infants exposed to two languages from birth to see why they don’t confuse the two, and says bilingual babies learn very early to pay attention better.

Werker tested babies in Spain who were growing up learning both Spanish and Catalan. She showed the babies videos of women speaking languages they’d never heard – English and French – but with the sound off. By measuring the tots’ attention span, Werker concluded that babies could distinguish between English and French simply by watching the speakers’ facial cues. It could have been the different lip shapes.

«It looks like French people are always kissing,» she joked, while the English «th» sound evokes a distinctive lip-in-teeth shape.

Whatever the cues, monolingual babies couldn’t tell the difference, Werker said Friday at the meeting.

But what if you weren’t lucky enough to be raised bilingual? Scientists and educators know that it becomes far harder to learn a new language after puberty.

Partly that’s because adults’ brains are so bombarded with other demands that we don’t give learning a new language the same attention that a young child does, Bialystok said.

At the University of Maryland, scientists are studying how to identify adults who would be good candidates to master a new language, and then what types of training are best. Having a pretty strong executive control system, like the lifelong bilinguals have, is among the good predictive factors, said Amy Weinberg, deputy director of the university’s Center for Advanced Study of Language.

But people don’t have to master a new language to benefit some, Bialystok said. Exercising your brain throughout life contributes to what’s called cognitive reserve, the overall ability to withstand the declines of aging and disease. That’s the basis of the use-it-or-lose-it advice from aging experts who also recommend such things as crossword puzzles to keep your brain nimble.

«If you start to learn at 40, 50, 60, you are certainly keeping your brain active,» she said.

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