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SUMMARY:Bilingualism Promotes Healthy and Youthful Brains. - Lucia Amoruso
  from BCBL in San Sebastian\, Spain 
DTSTART:20250214T163000Z
DTEND:20250214T180000Z
UID:TALK222835@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Sara Seddon
DESCRIPTION:Bilingualism—the ability to use two or more languages in dai
 ly life—has been proposed as a protective factor against neurodegenerati
 on and cognitive decline. However\, existing findings remain mixed\, often
  derived from small samples\, and fail to account for key confounding vari
 ables such as migration status\, socioeconomic disparities\, and environme
 ntal factors.\n\nIn this talk\, I will introduce a novel framework for exa
 mining bilingualism as a protective factor against cognitive\, functional\
 , and neural decline. This framework is based on computational aging clock
 s\, which leverage machine learning models trained on large datasets to es
 timate normative aging trajectories across domains. The “age gap”—th
 e difference between chronological and predicted age—captures deviations
  from typical aging\, with negative gaps indicating delayed\, healthy agin
 g and positive gaps suggesting accelerated aging and increased risk of pat
 hology.\n\nI will present evidence showing that bilingualisms delays aging
 —reflected in lower age gaps across domains—thereby acting as a protec
 tive factor\, while speaking only one language does not offer similar bene
 fits. This effect remains robust even after controlling for key confounder
 s. Finally\, I will discuss the potential mechanisms driving protection\, 
 providing insights into how bilingualism promotes healthy aging and resili
 ence across the lifespan.
LOCATION:Ground Floor Lecture Theatre\, Department of  Psychology
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