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. 2017 May:42:1-11.
doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroling.2016.10.004. Epub 2016 Nov 10.

Bilingualism Influences Structural Indices of Interhemispheric Organization

Adam Felton  1 , David Vazquez  1 , Aurora I Ramos-Nunez  2 , Maya R Greene  2 , Alessandra McDowell  1 , Arturo E Hernandez  2 , Christine Chiarello  1
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Bilingualism Influences Structural Indices of Interhemispheric Organization

Adam Felton et al. J Neurolinguistics. 2017 May.

Abstract

Bilingualism represents an interesting model of possible experience-dependent alterations in brain structure. The current study examines whether interhemispheric adaptations in brain structure are associated with bilingualism. Corpus callosum volume and cortical thickness asymmetry across 13 regions of interest (selected to include critical language and bilingual cognitive control areas) were measured in a sample of Spanish-English bilinguals and age- and gender-matched monolingual individuals (N = 39 per group). Cortical thickness asymmetry of the anterior cingulate region differed across groups, with thicker right than left cortex for bilinguals and the reverse for monolinguals. In addition, two adjacent regions of the corpus callosum (mid-anterior and central) had greater volume in bilinguals. The findings suggest that structural indices of interhemispheric organization in a critical cognitive control region are sensitive to variations in language experience.

Keywords: anterior cingulate; bilingualism; corpus callosum; cortical thickness; lateralization.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A. T-test of the bilingual/monolingual differences in cortical thickness asymmetry in the 13 regions of interest. Warmer colors indicate more rightward asymmetry for bilingual participants. B. Illustration of corpus callosum segmentation for two female participants (left monolingual, right bilingual).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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