Language Proficiency

Figure from Nguyen, et al. (2023, May 29-30). Cortical thickness is related to variability in bilingual language proficiency [Oral presentation]. Heritage Languages at the Crossroads, Istanbul, Türkiye.

Our lab examines how language proficiency shapes brain structure and function, particularly in bilinguals. Recent findings show significant variability in neural measures both within bilinguals and between bilinguals and monolinguals. Studies on heritage bilinguals reveal that proficiency in a dominant language, such as English, is linked to thinner cortices and greater subcortical volume in young adults, while proficiency in a heritage language, like Spanish, is associated with thicker cortices and reduced subcortical volume. In children, English vocabulary size correlates with cortical thickness, but subcortical volume remains unchanged. These findings suggest that the impact of bilingualism on brain structure changes over time, with group differences more pronounced in childhood and individual differences emerging in adulthood. Our work continues to explore how these neural adaptations relate to language use and experience.

  • Xu, Y., Nguyen, M. V. H., Vaughn, K. A., Archila‐Suerte, P., & Hernandez, A. E. (2024). Subcortical volume and language proficiency in bilinguals and monolinguals: A structural MRI study. Brain and Language, 259, 105494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105494
  • Nguyen, M. V. H., Xu, Y., Vaughn, K. A., & Hernandez, A. E. (2024). Subcortical volume and language experience in bilingual and monolingual adolescents: An ABCD study. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 65, 101334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101334
  • Nguyen, M. V. H., Vaughn, K. A., Claussenius-Kalman, H., Archila-Suerte, P., & Hernandez, A. E. (2023). Cortical thickness is related to variability in heritage bilingual language proficiency. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 9(4), 364–379. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000362
  • Vaughn, K. A., Nguyen, M. V. H., Ronderos, J., Hernandez, A. E. (2021). Cortical thickness in bilingual and monolingual children: Relationships to language use and language skill. NeuroImage, 243, 118560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118560