Abstract
Late-life depression (LLD) affects about an eighth of community-dwelling seniors. LLD impacts well-being, with loneliness and small social networks being typical. It has also been linked to cognitive dysfunction and an increased risk of developing dementia. Safety and efficacy of pharmacological treatments for LLD have been debated, and cognitive dysfunction often persists even after remission. Various cognitive interventions have been proposed for LLD. Among these, one has received special attention: foreign language learning could serve as a social intervention that simultaneously targets brain structures affected in LLD. Lifelong bilingualism may significantly delay the onset of cognitive impairment symptoms by boosting cognitive reserve. Even late-life foreign language learning without lifelong bilingualism can train cognitive flexibility. It is then counterintuitive that the effects of language learning on LLD have never been examined. In order to create a theoretical basis for further interdisciplinary research, this paper presents a status quo of current work through two meta-analyses investigating cognitive functioning in LLD on the one hand and in senior bilinguals or seniors following a language course on the other hand. While LLD was consistently associated with cognitive dysfunction, inconsistent results were found for bilingualism and language learners. Possible reasons for this and suggestions for future research are subsequently discussed.
Highlights
The world’s population is aging, both in relative and absolute numbers
The search for papers on cognitive functioning in late-life depression (LLD) led to 23 studies that met the inclusion criteria
In line with previous work [16], LLD is consistently associated with cognitive dysfunction
Summary
The world’s population is aging, both in relative and absolute numbers. Since the early 1900s, the mean life expectancy has increased by more than 30 years in some countries [1]. Butters and colleagues proposed that, out of a number of potential pathways, the most common scenario would be that “accumulate[d] AD neuropathology over many years along with co-occurring cerebrovascular disease [i.e., related to blood flow in the brain] damages the frontostriatal circuitry [i.e., the neural pathways connecting the frontal lobe to the striatum], leading to late-life depression” [21] Another overview paper reached similar conclusions but emphasized that the cause-effect relationship needed to be investigated more thoroughly for a solid understanding [22]. A further advantage of classroom language learning is that it potentially tackles the common problems of loneliness and small social networks LLD patients experience [24,25] Taking away these two risk factors for LLD, could potentially improve mood as well ( this is not the focus of the present paper). Published research directly investigating the efficacy of language learning to improve cognition and mood in LLD, is currently non-existent, work on language learning in seniors is being carried out at the moment of writing, e.g., [67]
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