Can speaking both Spanish and English help protect thinking skills in older Hispanic adults with mild memory problems?
Official title: Prospective study of bilingualism and cognitive reserve in the aging brain of Hispano adults with MCI
Funded at Florida Atlantic University · NIH-11472077 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows Hispanic older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment to see if people who use both Spanish and English show stronger brain resilience than Spanish-only speakers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida Atlantic University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boca Raton, United States) |
| Project start | February 15, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $56,940 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG080468-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11472077 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Hispanic adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment who speak Spanish and English or who are Spanish monolinguals and are willing to complete language questionnaires, cognitive testing, and brain scans are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without mild cognitive impairment, non-Hispanic individuals, or those unable or unwilling to undergo in-person visits and brain imaging are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.
What this research studies
You would join a group of Hispanic adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and be followed over time with regular thinking tests, detailed language and cultural questionnaires, and brain imaging scans. Researchers will carefully measure how and when you use each language, alongside social and acculturation factors, to define bilingualism more precisely. The study uses multiple types of brain scans to look for signs of cognitive reserve that might relate to bilingual language use. The goal is to compare bilingual and monolingual participants within an ongoing Florida Alzheimer's research cohort.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could identify whether bilingual language use helps delay worsening memory or dementia symptoms in Hispanic older adults and inform prevention strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Some earlier studies have suggested bilingualism may protect thinking skills but findings have been inconsistent, so this larger longitudinal study with detailed language measures and brain imaging aims to provide clearer evidence.
Where this research is happening
-
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rosselli, Monica — Florida Atlantic University
- Study coordinator: Rosselli, Monica
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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.