This comparison suggests that the active use of two languages protects bilinguals from the symptoms of the disease. The areas of the brain that enable cognitive control are hypothesized to have benefited from bilingual experience. Under conditions of pathology and stress, the skill developed as a function of juggling two languages over the course of a person’s life provides a level of cognitive reserve to enable individuals to continue to function, despite the presence of disease. Bilingualism itself does not directly affect Alzheimer’s disease but instead enables functional cognition for a longer period of time, relative to monolingualism, following the onset of the disease. This comparison suggests that the active use of two languages protects
