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Bilingualism as a protection against the onset of symptoms of dementia
Bialystok E, Craik FI, Freedman M.. Neuropsychologia, 2006-11-27
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
This study examined the effect of lifelong bilingualism on maintaining cognitive functioning and delaying the onset of symptoms of dementia in old age. The sample was selected from the records of 228 patients referred to a Memory Clinic with cognitive complaints. The final sample consisted of 184 patients diagnosed with dementia, 51% of whom were bilingual. The bilinguals showed symptoms of dementia 4 years later than monolinguals, all other measures being equivalent. Additionally, the rate of decline in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores over the 4 years subsequent to the diagnosis was the same for a subset of patients in the two groups, suggesting a shift in onset age with no change in rate of progression.
Key findings
- This study examined the effect of lifelong bilingualism on maintaining cognitive functioning and delaying the onset of symptoms of dementia in old age.
- The sample was selected from the records of 228 patients referred to a Memory Clinic with cognitive complaints.
- The final sample consisted of 184 patients diagnosed with dementia, 51% of whom were bilingual.
- The bilinguals showed symptoms of dementia 4 years later than monolinguals, all other measures being equivalent.
- Additionally, the rate of decline in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores over the 4 years subsequent to the diagnosis was the same for a subset of patients in the two groups, suggesting a shift in onset age with no change in rate of progression.
Why it matters
In 184 patients diagnosed with dementia, bilinguals showed symptoms about 4 years later than monolinguals, with the same rate of decline afterward. This suggests a shift in when symptoms appear, but it does not show that bilingualism prevents or cures dementia.
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Study details
- Participants228
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 54/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neuropsychologia) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Neuropsychologia: journal h-index 321 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2007 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 228 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 974 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 46.4 citations a year over 21 year(s) since 2007 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 8 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 130 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Morris Freedman: h-index 61 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Toronto: institution h-index 1,923 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17125807) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Bialystok, E., Craik, F. I., & Freedman, M. (2007). Bilingualism as a protection against the onset of symptoms of dementia. Neuropsychologia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.10.009
Vancouver
Bialystok E, Craik FI, Freedman M. Bilingualism as a protection against the onset of symptoms of dementia. Neuropsychologia. 2007. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.10.009. PMID: 17125807.
BibTeX
@article{bialystok2007-17125807,
author = {Bialystok, E. and Craik, F. I. and Freedman, M.},
title = {{Bilingualism as a protection against the onset of symptoms of dementia}},
journal = {Neuropsychologia},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.10.009},
pmid = {17125807},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.10.009}
}
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