Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
24 November 2015 09:42
Being bilingual may help the way people recover from strokes
Bilingual stroke victims are far likelier to regain their brain functions than those who can only speak one language, new research suggests.
Researchers say their findings suggest that the mental challenge which goes with speaking more than one language may improve the way the brain deals with strokes, dementia and other damaging influences.
The team - based at the University of Edinburgh and the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, India - studied data from over 600 stroke patients.
They found that among those who speak two or more languages, just over two fifths (40.5%) went on to regain their normal mental functions.
But among stroke victims who only speak one language, the proportion was just under one in five (19.6%), the study shows.
The team factored in patients' ages as well as other things such as smoking, diabetes and blood pressure to make sure their results were not attributed to some having a healthier lifestyle.
Holidaying abroad can help people brush up on their language skills and those recovering from a stroke can cover themselves with a stroke travel insurance policy.
The researchers say the proportion of bilingual patients whose cognitive functions remained intact after their stroke was over twice as high as for monolingual ones. The likelihood of post-stroke cognitive impairments, meanwhile, was higher among those who only speak one language.
The study's co-author, Thomas Bak, says people who are bilingual communicate by inhibiting one language while activating another. Switching between languages, he adds, keeps the brain in almost constant training, which could be a factor in helping people recover from strokes.
Funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research, the study - the first to examine the relationship between stroke patients' cognitive recovery and the number of languages they speak - has been published in the American Heart Association's Stroke journal.
16 November 2018
Switching to a diet low in carbohydrates could see people lose up to 10kg over a three-year period, according to new research.
[more...]
15 November 2018
Smokers who regularly use vapers are more likely to try and quit smoking for good, new research has suggested.
14 November 2018
Leukaemia patients are now a step closer to personalised treatments after a British study looked at the role gene mutations play in blood cancers.
13 November 2018
A quick scan of the blood vessels in a patient's neck could soon be a critical part of future dementia screening, new research has suggested.
10 November 2018
The NHS spends more than £1 billion a year on prescriptions for people with diabetes, new figures show.
09 November 2018
Woman who smoke, have diabetes, or high blood pressure are more likely to suffer a heart attack than men with the same risk factors, a new study claims.
08 November 2018
Millions of UK pensioners feel they don't have anyone they can turn to for help, a leading charity has warned.
07 November 2018
Over a quarter of medical workers are still reluctant to recommend e-cigarettes to smokers despite being told to do so by health authorities, a new survey has revealed.
06 November 2018
A new direct flight between Manchester and Mumbai could boost the economy of northern England to the tune of £400 million, a new report suggests.
02 November 2018
Air travellers could soon face restrictions on the amount of alcohol they can drink before flying, under plans currently being considered by the government.
01 November 2018
A vegan diet could help people living with diabetes to better manage their condition, a new review suggests.
31 October 2018
Electric planes could soon be flying on short-haul routes in Europe, according to the boss of EasyJet.