Latinos who speak English or grew up speaking both Spanish and English recover from strokes faster and better than those who speak only Spanish, a new study has found.
It is unclear whether the better recovery is the result of the changes that language learning makes to the brain or whether it is a question of some other differences in the studied samples. However, these findings raise the possibility that the way languages shape our brains is much more important than previously thought, IFL Science reports. N1.
A month ago, strong evidence of the influence of mother tongues on brain development was published. Comparing native German speakers with Arabic speakers revealed greater connections between the two hemispheres in Arabic speakers.
At the same time, German speakers have more developed language connections in the left hemisphere. The differences are believed to be the result of contrasting demands that the two languages place on the brain.
The study did not investigate whether these differences affect capacities beyond those required for language alone. However, a new scientific paper indicates that the consequences could be significant, at least for those who experience a stroke once in their life.
Language plays an important role
Previous studies have shown that the consequences of stroke are worse for Mexican-Americans than for whites in the US. There are many possible explanations for this, from genetic factors to discrimination in medical treatment. Dr. Luid Morgenstern from the University of Michigan wanted to test the possibility that language plays a role in the recovery process.
Morgenstern and his colleagues studied the recovery of 1.096 Mexican-Americans in the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, eliminating other potential influences.
All study participants were tested three months after the stroke, and the authors compared their results in three areas: neurological, where they studied muscle strength, speech and coordination, thinking and recall skills, and the ability to perform everyday tasks. Testing was conducted by certified scientists who speak both languages since birth.
"Our study found that Mexican-Americans who speak only Spanish have worse neurological outcomes three months after stroke than Mexican-Americans who speak only English or both languages," said Morgenstern.
There were no significant differences in the other two measurements, but neurological differences were significant. Those who speak Spanish averaged seven points on a scale of a maximum of 44, and those who speak English or both languages about four points.
Although the population selected for the study was relatively homogeneous, the groups were not identical. Those who spoke exclusively Spanish were older and less educated than those who spoke English. On the other hand, they smoked cigarettes less often. After the authors modified the results to take these differences into account, the difference in neurological recovery decreased to 1,9 points, but this result is also significant.
What is not taken into account?
The authors of the study emphasize that a larger study with a better sample of exclusively Spanish speakers would bring better results. Also, there is a possibility that there are some differences that were not taken into account, such as the financial situation, which is not a topic that can be verified in random testing.
"We conducted an earlier study in the same community and found that the language people spoke was not associated with delays in going to the hospital after strokes, which means we definitely need more information to understand what contributes to the difference in recovery in these two groups," says Morgenstern.
Spanish and English are more similar to each other than German and Arabic—if the difference really has to do with language-induced changes in the brain, there is the potential for even greater variation in recovery between native German speakers and Arabic speakers.
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