The Bilingual Brain

At the GCRI Science Dinner and discussion on June 3, 2010, Professors Michael Ullman and Jürgen M. Meisel will share their insights on the physiological differences between learning a second language in youth and adulthood.

People who become bilingual early in life often show better concentration and are less prone to distractions. They also may be better protected against dementia and other age-related cognitive decline. The GCRI Science Dinner will focus on second language acquisition and the role of memory systems in the brain as they relate to first and second language acquirement.

Professor Ullman’s research examines brain bases of first (native) and second (foreign) language, how language and memory are affected in various disorders (e.g., autism, Tourette syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease), and how factors such as sex (male vs. female), handedness (left vs. right), and genetic variability affect the brain bases of language and memory. The title of his talk is “The Role of Memory Brain Systems in First and Second Language; or, What Rats Can Tell Us About Language.” Ullman teaches in the Department of Neuroscience, with secondary appointments in the Departments of Neurology, Linguistics and Psychology, at Georgetown University.

The title of Professor Meisel’s talk is “Simultaneous and Successive Acquisition of Bilingualism: Age of Onset of Acquisition in Early Childhood.” He is Professor emeritus of Romance Linguistics at the University of Hamburg and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Calgary. One of the founding editors and current co-editor of the journal Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Meisel’s latest book, “First and Second Language Acquisition: Parallels and Differences,” will be published by Cambridge University Press.

The German Center for Research and Innovation, which opened in February 2010, provides information and support for the realization of cooperative and collaborative projects between North America and Germany with the goal of enhancing communication on the critical challenges of the 21st century. Launched as a cornerstone of the German government’s initiative to internationalize science and research, it is one of five centers worldwide.