Burgaleta, M., Sanjuán, A., Ventura-Campos, N., Sebastian-Galles, N., & Ávila, C. (2016).

Bilingualism at the core of the brain. Structural differences between bilinguals and

monolinguals revealed by subcortical shape analysis. NeuroImage, 125, 437-445.

Research Questions

The goal of this study was to analyze if any observable difference could be made between a

group of monolingual and bilingual participants regarding the structure of the brain. Specifically,

this study examined the subcortical area of the brain. The emphasis on examining the subcortical

area was made due to the fact that several studies had been previously conducted focusing on the

gray matter of bilinguals and monolinguals at the cortical level.

Participants

There was a total of 88 participants who were students at the University Jaume I of Castellon de

la Plana in Spain. All participants were right handed with no reports of neurological or auditory

issues. Of the 88 participants 46 were monolinguals who only spoke Spanish and 42 were

bilingual who spoke Spanish and Catalan. Bilingual participants had used both Spanish and

Catalan since birth on a daily bases and had attended bilingual school from the age of 5.

Participants were also solidified as viable bilingual participants with the administration of a self-

rating survey where participants rated their proficiency in comprehension, fluency, writing and

reading on a scale of 1-4.

Procedures

The subcortical areas of interest that were examined were the bilateral putamen,

thalamus, the left globus pallidus and the fight caudate nucleus. To image the subcortical

structure of the participants a 1.5T scanner was used to provide MRI imaging. An image of the
entire brain was first taken of each participant and then a second image was taking only of the

subcortical structures. The MRI program named FIRST was used to provide the specific

coordinates of the subcortical areas of the brain.

Voxel-based morphometry was also used to measure the differences in grey matter

between the participants.

Results

Several differences were observed between the monolingual and bilingual participants at the

subcortical level. Bilinguals displayed more bilateral expansion of the thalamus and the putamen

when compared to monolinguals. This was also seen when comparing the right caudate and the

left globus pallidus of the bilingual participants to the monolingual participants. The volume of

the bilateral putamen, the bilateral thalamus and the right caudate nucleus was greater in

bilingual participants than it was in monolingual participants.

Discussion

What could be concluded from this study is that there are observable differences between the

subcortical structure of monolinguals when compared to bilinguals. Bilinguals show a greater

total volume in the bilateral putamen, the bilateral thalamus and the right caudate when

compared to monolinguals. What is implied by this study is that the brains structure is affected

not only by language but by the amount of languages spoken. If an individual speaks multiple

languages, it not only affects the structure of the cortical areas of the brain but also the

subcortical areas of the brain.

Critique

In general, I do feel that the research carried out was done well. As far as the process by which

they targeted certain coordinates of the brain, they were very thorough. I also feel that the
research was significant because they built upon research that had already been done. It is also

important to see that learning multiple languages does not just affect one area of the brain. I do

have some issues with this research however. First, I think it would have been beneficial to their

study to have had a more developed way to access the proficiency of the participants. A self-

administered survey with a scale of 1 to 4 is hardly sufficient to accurately access one

proficiency in a language. I would recommend utilizing an oral interview using the OPI method

of grading. I also thought it was problematic that participants who were bilingual but spoke

different language besides Spanish and Catalan were rejected from the study. In my mind this

reduces the influence of the study. One could say that the results are only applicable to bilinguals

that speak Spanish and Catalan. Having a more diverse group of bilinguals would have shown

that the increase in subcortical volume is a universal trait among bilinguals and not just

bilinguals that speak Spanish and Catalan. A future study could examine the subcortical areas of

the brain but include a large variety of bilinguals with different languages. I feel that the results

of this study are very valuable to teachers and administrators in foreign and second language

teaching settings because it demonstrates the importance of second language acquisition. It

shows that the benefits of learning a language go beyond intercultural understanding but also

impacts the physical structure of the brain in a positive manner.