Open AccessHow bilingualism shapes the functional architecture of the brain: A study on executive control in early bilinguals and monolinguals
Author(s) -
Costumero Víctor,
RodríguezPujadas Aina,
FuentesClaramonte Paola,
Ávila César
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.22996
Subject(s) - neuroscience of multilingualism , psychology , cognition , cognitive psychology , executive functions , neural correlates of consciousness , control (management) , functional magnetic resonance imaging , multilingualism , developmental psychology , neuroscience , computer science , pedagogy , artificial intelligence
The existence of a behavioral advantage of bilinguals over monolinguals during executive tasks is controversial. A new approach to this issue is to investigate the effect of bilingualism on neural control when performing these tasks as a window to understand when behavioral differences are produced. Here, we tested if early bilinguals use more language‐related networks than monolinguals while performing a go/no‐go task that includes infrequent no‐go and go trials. The RTs and accuracy in both groups did not differ. An independent component analyses (ICA) revealed, however, that bilinguals used the left fronto‐parietal network and the salience network more than monolinguals while processing go infrequent cues and no‐go cues, respectively. It was noteworthy that the modulation of these networks had opposite correlates with performance in bilinguals and monolinguals, which suggests that between‐group differences were more qualitative than quantitative. Our results suggest that bilinguals may differently develop the involvement of the executive control networks that comprise the left inferior frontal gyrus during cognitive control tasks than monolinguals. Hum Brain Mapp 36:5101–5112, 2015 . © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.