Bilingualism and “brain reserve” in subregions of the hippocampal formation

With aging, the hippocampal formation shows variable structural atrophy, which is associated with a decline in cognitive performance. Bilingualism is related to higher hippocampal gray matter volume (GMV), potentially representing a form of brain reserve in aging. However, the differential influence of bilingualism on hippocampal subregions remains unclear. Thus, we investigated GMV differences and differences in age-GMV relationships between mono- and bilinguals in the hippocampal formation and its subregions, hippocampus proper and subicular complex. We included 661 adults aged 19 to 85 years (257 monolinguals, 404 sequential bilinguals, predominantly native German speakers with variable second language background) from the population-based 1000BRAINS cohort. GMV differences in mono- vs. bilinguals were assessed for six regions of interest (hippocampal formation, hippocampus proper, and subicular complex; each left and right) using analyses of covariance. Effects of bilingualism on age-GMV relationships were investigated via moderation analyses. We found higher GMV in bilinguals in the bilateral subicular complex, while only a trend towards this effect existed for the hippocampal formation. Moderation analyses revealed similar age-GMV relationships between mono- and bilinguals for all regions of interest. Higher GMV in bilinguals’ hippocampal formation seems specifically attributable to the subicular complex rather than the hippocampus proper. With similar age-GMV relationships for mono- and bilinguals, bilingual brain reserve in the subicular complex may persist over time. This may be particularly beneficial since subicular atrophy has previously been associated with higher risk for dementia. Altogether, a differential impact of bilingualism on hippocampal subregions has been demonstrated.