Bilingualism and language resilience in Hispanic adults with primary progressive aphasia
Official title: Bilingual Factors Associated with Cognitive Reserve and Linguistic Resilience in Hispanics with Primary Progressive Aphasia
Funded at University of Texas at Austin · NIH-11285140 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will learn how different bilingual experiences affect thinking and language skills in Hispanic adults with primary progressive aphasia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas at Austin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Austin, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2022 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $468,205 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG080470-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285140 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Hispanic adults diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia who speak more than one language (for example, Spanish and English).
✕Less likely to help
People who are monolingual, do not have primary progressive aphasia, or whose language background is not Hispanic/Latinx may not be eligible or directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
Researchers will collect detailed language histories (which language you learned first, how well you speak each language, how often you use them, and when you learned them) and give standardized tests of thinking and language across different language areas. They will compare how a person’s first and second languages change over time in people with primary progressive aphasia to find patterns of resilience or decline. The team is focusing on Hispanic individuals to reflect sociocultural and linguistic differences that past studies often missed. Other factors such as age and education will be considered to help separate bilingual effects from other influences on thinking and language.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help predict which language will stay stronger and guide more personalized communication therapies for bilingual people with PPA.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has suggested bilingualism can delay dementia in some cases, but results are mixed and studies specifically on bilingual primary progressive aphasia in Hispanic groups are limited.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Grasso, Stephanie M — University of Texas at Austin
- Study coordinator: Grasso, Stephanie M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Bilingualism and language resilience in Hispanic people with primary progressive aphasia
Researchers compare different bilingual experiences to see how they relate to language decline and thinking skills in Hispanic adults with primary progressive aphasia.
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Exploring how bilingualism affects cognitive health in Hispanics with language disorders
This study is looking at how being bilingual might help Hispanic individuals with primary progressive aphasia, a type of dementia that affects language, by exploring how their language skills and experiences can influence their brain's ability to stay strong against decline.
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How bilingualism affects cognitive health in Hispanics with language disorders
This study is looking at how being bilingual might help Hispanic people with primary progressive aphasia, a type of dementia that affects language, by exploring how their language skills and experiences can influence their brain's ability to cope with the condition.
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Communication Bridge: Improving language therapy for people with primary progressive aphasia
A proven language-therapy program called Communication Bridge helps people with primary progressive aphasia improve and maintain how they communicate with others.
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Communication Bridge helps people with primary progressive aphasia talk more clearly
Aimed at people with primary progressive aphasia, this project tests a speech-language and psychosocial program delivered by telepractice to improve daily communication and quality of life.
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Transcranial current therapy for language in progressive aphasia
A world-class team is testing a painless brain-stimulation method to help people with primary progressive aphasia say more words and names.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.