双语推迟痴呆病情的发作 Bilingualism: Delay the Onset of Alzheimer’s Symptoms

加拿大多伦多贝克列斯特老人护理中心罗特曼研究所，一所研究人类脑功能的国际中心，的一项研究显示讲两种语言可把老年老年痴呆症（学名为阿兹罕默症）发作时间推迟五年。研究员是检查了211名老年失智症患者的医疗报告后才得出这个结论的。目前，还没有药物可以推迟老年痴呆症的发作。

这项研究重新证明了2007年约克大学比亚韦斯托克教授所领导的一项研究。该项研究发现讲两者语言的痴呆病人比起只讲一种语言的病人，病情发作推迟。比起单语病人，双语病人的发作推迟了四年。

无论他们的语言能力如何，痴呆病人的脑还是会继续恶化；但是双语病人在遗失记忆、混淆、难以解决问题与计划事务等症状方面，看来推迟。

约克大学心理学教授兼罗特曼研究所科学家比亚韦斯托克教授说：‘所有参与这项研究的病人都被诊断为痴呆症病患者，所以很明显的，应有双语并不能避免痴呆病的发作。而是说，我们研究的结果显示，一生使用双语者累积了一种大脑认知贮备，帮助他们在病症发作之前，可以较长的时间来对抗病情。’

虽然双语病人的病情亦会恶化，研究员相信应用超过一种语言会为他们装备了补偿性能力，把遗失记忆、混淆等等病状控制。

这两项研究指明必须把双语使用当作是健康地老化的一种重要工具，和其他活动如运动、饮食、生活习惯等等一起应用。现在，我们有很好理由鼓励生活在多元文化社会里的人们继续讲母语，并传授给他们的孩子。

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A study conducted by researchers at the Toronto based Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care’s Rotman Research Institute, a premier international centre for the study of human brain function, suggests that speaking two languages can help delay the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms by as long as five years. The researchers came to the conclusion after examined clinical records of 211 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. There are currently no drug treatments that can delay the symptoms of Alzheimer's.

The study replicated findings from a 2007 study led by Ellen Bialystok of York University that found bilingual dementia patients experienced a delayed onset of their symptoms compared to monolingual patients. It found that bilingual patients delayed the onset of their symptoms by four years compared to monolingual patients.

The subjects' brains still showed deterioration from Alzheimer's regardless of language skills, however bilingualism appeared to have delayed symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and difficulties with problem-solving and planning.

Ellen Bialystok, professor of psychology in York’s Faculty of Health and associate scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, said, “All the patients in the study had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, so clearly bilingualism does not prevent the onset of dementia. Instead, our results show that people who have been lifelong bilinguals have built up a cognitive reserve that allows them to cope with the disease for a longer period of time before showing symptoms.”

While the brains of bilingual patients did show deterioration, researchers believe that the use of more than one language equips them with compensatory skills that keep symptoms like memory loss and confusion in check.

Both studies point to the need to treat bilingualism as an important tool for healthy aging, along with exercise, diet, and other lifestyle choices. Now, there is a good reason to encourage people in multicultural societies to keep speaking their native tongue and pass it along to their children.