Jason Rothman

Abstract Language plays a central role in the assessment of individuals with psychosis, from taking a medical history to evaluating cognitive function. However, speaking multiple languages can significantly influence linguistic, cognitive and neural substrates. Therefore, it is essential to know whether an individual with psychosis is bilingual. Leaving modulating effects of bilingualism in psychosis unconsidered, runs high risk of confounding any clinical assessment and research.

People who speak two or more languages may experience a later onset of dementia symptoms, yet whether multilingualism promotes healthy aging in a generalizable or even actionable manner remains unclear. In a large-scale study, Amoruso and colleagues provide robust evidence that knowing multiple languages supports healthier aging trajectories.

bilingualism expansion–renormalization experience-dependent plasticity hippocampus MRI Significance Statement Bilingual experience has been associated with neurocognitive adaptations and linked to more favorable cognitive aging. The hippocampus, crucial in aging, has been previously shown to exhibit volumetric increases in response to language learning with some reports of nonlinear adaptations linked to bilingual experience.