Boosting cognition in older adults by means of foreign language learning

The rapid aging of the world population co-occurs with an increase in age-related cognitive decline. For seniors, cognitive decline may result in memory problems, a decline in executive functioning, and therefore a higher vulnerability for old-age disorders such as dementia and depression. Because a bilingual experience has been hypothesized to enhance cognitive functioning, to aid in building cognitive reserve, and to eventually attenuate cognitive decline, foreign language learning could serve as a tool to prevent old-age disorders in elders (Antoniou et al., 2013). Yet, only a few studies have attempted to investigate the cognitive effects of third-age foreign language learning, but benefits are not consistently found (Klimova, 2018). By employing a pre-test/intervention/post-test design, we aim to further investigate effects in cognitive functioning related to foreign language learning in a group of 65-80-year old healthy seniors. The intervention consists of a 10-day online Spanish course, during which participants are exposed to the language in an implicit manner. Finally, we examine event-related potentials elicited in response to spoken Spanish words before and after approximately 8 hours of learning to capture the neural signature of language learning in the early stages. Our study's goal is to provide implications for neuroplasticity and healthy aging