VOA慢速英語(yǔ):Bilingualism May Delay the First signs of Dementias

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

這里是美國(guó)之音慢速英語(yǔ)健康報(bào)道。

New research suggests that speaking more than one language may delay different kinds of dementia, that is the lost of mental ability. In fact, researchers say, speaking two languages appears to be more important than the level of education in defending against dementias.

新的研究表明，講一種以上的語(yǔ)言可以推遲患上各種癡呆癥，癡呆是指心智能力的缺失。實(shí)際上研究人員說(shuō)，講兩種語(yǔ)言在對(duì)抗癡呆上似乎比教育程度更加重要。

A study in India examined the effect of knowing more than one language in delaying the first signs of several disorders, these included Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia, Lewy bodies dementia and mixed dementias. Researchers studied nearly 650 people whose average age was 66. 240 of those studied suffered from Alzheimer's, the most common form of mental decline.

印度的一項(xiàng)研究檢驗(yàn)了懂多種語(yǔ)言在推遲患上幾種疾病上的作用，這些疾病包括阿爾茨海默氏病、額顳葉癡呆，血管性癡呆，路易體癡呆和混合性癡呆。研究人員研究了平均年齡為66歲的近650人，其中240人患有阿爾茨海默氏病，這是一種最常見(jiàn)的智力下降。

391 of the subjects spoke two or more languages. Investigators found the dementias began about four-and-a-half years later in those who were bilingual compared to those who spoke only one language. The level of education had no effect on the age at the first sign of dementia.

其中391位研究對(duì)象講多種語(yǔ)言。研究者發(fā)現(xiàn)，雙語(yǔ)者在患上癡呆癥的時(shí)間上比只講一種語(yǔ)言的人晚4年半。教育程度對(duì)患上癡呆癥的年齡沒(méi)有影響。

Thomas Bak helped to organise the study. He is with the Center of Cognitive Aging at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He suggests that individuals who speak more than one language train their brains by moving back and forth between different words and expressions.

托馬斯·伯克(Thomas Bak)幫助組織了這項(xiàng)研究。他就職于蘇格蘭愛(ài)丁堡大學(xué)的認(rèn)知衰老中心。他認(rèn)為，講多種語(yǔ)言的人通過(guò)在不同單詞和短語(yǔ)之間來(lái)回切換鍛煉了他們的大腦。

Mr Bok believes this effort improves what scientists called executive functioning or attention to tasks, this mental ability often weakens in people with dementias.

伯克先生認(rèn)為，這項(xiàng)工作提高了科學(xué)家們所謂的大腦執(zhí)行功能，這種心智能力在癡呆者身上通常開(kāi)始減弱。

Researchers found there was no extra gain in speaking more than two languages. They also did not see a delay in the first signs of Lewy bodies dementia, the disorder causes patients to see or experience things that do not real exist. They can also cause sufferers to move back and forth between being wide awake and really sleeping.

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，講兩種以上的語(yǔ)言并沒(méi)有額外的好處。他們也發(fā)現(xiàn)講多種語(yǔ)言無(wú)法推遲患上路易體癡呆，這種疾病會(huì)導(dǎo)致患者產(chǎn)生幻覺(jué)，還能導(dǎo)致患者在清醒和沉睡之間輪回。

Mr Bak says it does not appear important whether you learn a language at a young age or later in life.

伯克先生說(shuō)，是在年少還是年老時(shí)學(xué)習(xí)一門(mén)語(yǔ)言顯得并不重要。

"So it's not something you sort of say that '[if] you missed the boat when you do not do it as a baby.' It is something that is still quite useful and powerful when you do it as an adult," he said.

他說(shuō)，“所以在這件事上別說(shuō)什么‘年幼時(shí)錯(cuò)過(guò)了機(jī)會(huì)。’你成年以后再學(xué)也照樣非常有用。”

Scientists found that speaking more than one language help delay the first signs of dementias, even in those who could not read.

科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)，講多種語(yǔ)言有助于推遲患上癡呆癥，哪怕是不會(huì)閱讀。

An article on the benefits of bilingualism on dementias was published this month in the journal Neurology.

一篇關(guān)于雙語(yǔ)對(duì)癡呆癥好處的論文發(fā)表在了本月的神經(jīng)學(xué)雜志上。