Journal
NEUROIMAGE
Volume 125, Issue -, Pages 437-445Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.09.073
Keywords
Basal; Ganglia; Thalamus; Structural MRI; Neuroanatomy; Bilingualism
Funding
- Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion [JCI-2009-04492, PSI2010-20168]
- Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad [MINECO-PSI2012-34071, MINECO-FPDI-2013-17528]
- European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) / ERC [323961]
- Grup de Recerca en Neurociencia Cognitiva (GRNC)
- AGAUR [2014 SGR 1210 N]
- Generalitat de Catalunya
- European Research Council (ERC) [323961] Funding Source: European Research Council (ERC)
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Naturally acquiring a language shapes the human brain through a long-lasting learning and practice process. This is supported by previous studies showing that managing more than one language from early childhood has an impact on brain structure and function. However, to what extent bilingual individuals present neuroanatomical peculiarities at the subcortical level with respect tomonolinguals is yet notwell understood, despite the key role of subcortical gray matter for a number of language functions, including monitoring of speech production and language control - two processes especially solicited by bilinguals. Here we addressed this issue by performing a subcortical surface-based analysis in a sample of monolinguals and simultaneous bilinguals (N=88) that only differed in their language experience from birth. This analysis allowed us to study with great anatomical precision the potential differences in morphology of key subcortical structures, namely, the caudate, accumbens, putamen, globus pallidus and thalamus. Vertexwise analyses revealed significantly expanded subcortical structures for bilinguals compared to monolinguals, localized in bilateral putamen and thalamus, as well as in the left globus pallidus and right caudate nucleus. A topographical interpretation of our results suggests that a more complex phonological system in bilinguals may lead to a greater development of a subcortical brain network involved in monitoring articulatory processes. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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