Cognitive Reserve and Second Language Acquisition

Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest90 enrolled

Overview

Bilingualism has been shown to have a strong protective effect against dementia, delaying the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease by up to 4 years. The purpose of the study is to test whether learning a second language using Duolingo software could improve cognitive functions in older adults.

This study is a 3-arm, randomized controlled trial. The primary objective of the study is to test the impact of second language acquisition through short-term use of the Duolingo app on cognitive functioning, particularly executive function in older adults compared to a brain training application.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Executive Function

Interventions

DuolingoBEHAVIORAL

Will learn Spanish using the commercially available Duolingo application. It is a computerized language training program.

BrainHQBEHAVIORAL

Will use the commercially available Posit Science product Brain HQ. Brain HQ is a computerized adaptive cognitive brain training program.

Passive ControlBEHAVIORAL

No Intervention.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 65 YearsMax age: 75 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Participants must have normal vision and hearing. * Participants must be able to travel to Baycrest by personal or study-arranged automobile, or public transportation. * Participants must be monolingual native English speakers. * Participants must be willing to provide informed consent. * Participants must have daily access to a smartphone/mobile device. * Have not previously studied Spanish formally, nor any other language in the past 10 years. Exclusion Criteria: * have a neurological disorder. * meet DSM-IV-TR criteria for Axis I mood, anxiety, or psychotic or substance abuse disorders. * Fluent in more than one language.

Locations (1)

Baycrest Health Sciences

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

RECRUITING