Project Talent Study on Family Language and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

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Speaking more than one language, or multilingualism, may offer some benefits against cognitive decline later in life. But research on this topic has shown mixed findings. Some studies have found a positive effect of speaking more than one language on later life cognitive health, but others have found no effect.

One problem with previous research is that many studies don’t consider other social factors that can affect cognitive health, such as race and ethnicity, nationality, and education. Currently, there is a need for more research to understand if and how multilingualism might impact cognitive health. Findings may help inform language-based treatments for preventing cognitive decline in later life.
 

What is this study about?

In this study, we will look at relationships between speaking more than one language during childhood—what we call “family-of-origin multilingualism”—and the onset of Alzheimer's Disease or related dementias (ADRD), in later life among participants of Project Talent. We will look at how many participants have received a diagnosis of ADRD and at what age, and whether this varies between participants who spoke only one language during childhood and those who spoke more than one language. We will also look to see if the extent of these differences, if they exist, vary across race and ethnicity, social and economic status, and cognitive ability, as it was measured in high school.
 

Why does this matter?

Better understanding of the interaction between multilingualism and social environments may provide information about the role of language in cognitive health. This research may also improve our understanding of cognitive reserve and resilience. Learning how multilingualism impacts cognitive reserve and resilience may help us know more about the progression of cognitive decline and ADRD in older adults, especially among those from multilingual minority communities. 
 

What are we doing?

First, we are linking Project Talent participants’ parents to 1950 Census records. These records, which became available in April 2022, include information on each household member’s race, nationality, and languages spoken. We are linking to 1950 Census records to extend the 1960 Project Talent data, which includes information on each parent’s place of birth and languages spoken.

Next, we are linking Project Talent participants who died between 1979 and 2023 to the National Death Index. The National Death Index is a data set that includes death record information for all U.S. citizens and persons who died in the U.S. since 1979. We will look at the cause of death to identify participants who died from ADRD.

Then we will combine the 1950 Census data, the 1960 Project Talent data, and the death record data with data collected from the Project Talent Health and Wellness Study. We will look to see if speaking more than one language during childhood helps protect against ADRD in later life.