Understanding the neural and cognitive-behavioral impact of bilingual and multilingual proficiency

The interdisciplinary field of language neuroscience is increasingly invested in unraveling how the human brain enables, adapts to, and is shaped by the mastery and use of multiple languages. Contemporary research underscores that bilingualism and multilingualism, as well as exposure to a family or community language, induce both structural and functional changes in language-related neural circuits. This body of work has expanded to show that such neural adaptations are not only reflected in the brain’s architecture but also manifest in diverse cognitive outcomes, ranging from executive functioning to enhanced problem-solving and metalinguistic skills. Despite this progress, critical questions persist about the real-world and cognitive-behavioral impacts of bilingual and multilingual experience. Additionally, there is active discussion of how these experiences modulate brain plasticity underlying language retention, attrition, and reactivation, particularly across development and into older adulthood. A growing number of studies using neuroimaging, electrophysiological, cognitive, and behavioral techniques have begun to delineate the distinct ways language is represented, regulated, and accessed by bilingual and multilingual speakers. Evidence highlights variability in neural connectivity and cognitive abilities based on when and how additional languages are acquired, as well as how first languages and early-acquired home languages are maintained, weakened, or regained. Importantly, researchers are examining the implications of bilingual or multilingual experience for everyday functioning, academic achievement, socio-emotional well-being, and resilience to age-related cognitive decline. Nevertheless, substantial gaps remain in our understanding of the mechanisms of neural and cognitive plasticity that support language-related successes or challenges, and of how individual differences in context, proficiency, and use translate into practical outcomes. This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of how bilingual and multilingual experiences drive neural, cognitive, and behavioral plasticity across the lifespan, with particular emphasis on real-world and cognitive-behavioral outcomes. By integrating findings from human neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and sociolinguistics, the goal is to clarify the mechanisms that underlie language retention, attrition, and reactivation, and to identify factors that foster positive cognitive and everyday outcomes for speakers maintaining or re-learning a first language or early-acquired home language. To gather further insights into how the brain orchestrates the maintenance, loss, and re-learning of first languages and early-acquired home or community languages—and how these processes relate to cognitive and real-world functioning in bilingual and multilingual populations—we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes: · Neural mechanisms supporting first-language and home/community-language acquisition and maintenance· Structural and functional brain changes associated with bilingualism and multilingualism· Age-related shifts in neural and cognitive plasticity affecting language retention, re-learning, and use· Individual differences in cognitive, behavioral, and real-world language outcomes and their neural underpinnings· The executive processes required to manage and switch between multiple languages· Neuroimaging and electrophysiological approaches linking bilingual experience to brain and cognitive adaptation· Reactivation and recovery of previously weakened first or home/community languages and implications for daily life· Cognitive and behavioral benefits or challenges in real-world settings tied to bilingual and multilingual proficiency Topic editors: Beatriz de Diego-Lázaro, Beatriz Barragan Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78275/understanding-the-neural-and-cognitive-behavioral-impact-of-bilingual-and-multilingual-proficiency