Born and raised in Cracow, Poland, Dr Thomas H Bak studied medicine and worked as a clinician in psychiatry and neurology in Bern, Berlin, Cambridge and Edinburgh. 2010-2018 he was the president of the World Federation of Neurology Research Group on Aphasia, Dementia and Cognitive Disorders (WFN RG ADCD). His main interest is the relationship between language, brain and mind, with a recent focus on the impact of language learning and multilingualism on cognitive functions across the lifespan and in brain diseases such as dementia and stroke. He has teaching experience in 7 languages and conducts his research in a wide range of populations across the world.
Increasing evidence suggests that life course factors such as education and bilingualism may have... more Increasing evidence suggests that life course factors such as education and bilingualism may have a protective role against dementia due to Alzheimer disease. This study aimed to compare the effects of education and bilingualism on the onset of cognitive decline at the stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A total of 115 patients with MCI evaluated in a specialty memory clinic in Hyderabad, India, formed the cohort. MCI was diagnosed according to Petersen's criteria following clinical evaluation and brain imaging. Age at onset of MCI was compared between bilinguals and monolinguals, and across subjects with high and low levels of education, adjusting for possible confounding variables. The bilingual MCI patients were found to have a clinical onset of cognitive complaints 7.4 years later than monolinguals (65.2 vs. 58.1 years; p = 0.004), while years of education was not associated with delayed onset (1-10 years of education, 59.1 years; 11-15 years of education, 62.6 years; ...
The terms “native speaker” (NS) and “non-native speaker” (NNS) continue to be widely used in appl... more The terms “native speaker” (NS) and “non-native speaker” (NNS) continue to be widely used in applied linguistics and foreign language learning and teaching despite a growing wave of criticism about the difficulty in defining them accurately, the (neo)racist ideology they reflect and the deficit view they perpetuate among foreign language learners and teachers. These issues are explored in more detail, focusing on the history of the terms NS/NNS and their enduring perverse social consequences. We consider alternative views and explain the reasoning behind the development of a new terminology: “L1 user versus LX user” (Dewaele 2018). We conclude that the field needs to abandon the toxic terms “NS/NNS” and adopt neutral terms that emphasise the equal status of first and foreign language users – which can often be the same person
Studies examining the potential effects of bilingualism on interference suppression show inconsis... more Studies examining the potential effects of bilingualism on interference suppression show inconsistent results. Our study approaches this topic by distinguishing two potential subcomponents within interference suppression (i.e., Stimulus-Stimulus and Stimulus-Response conflict). We investigated the two subcomponents through their operationalisation in different tasks and examined the role of language proficiency in modulating it. A sample of 111 young adult participants performed four non-linguistic cognitive tasks measuring both visual and auditory domains of cognitive control. Bilinguals outperformed monolinguals in tasks involving Stimulus-Stimulus conflict, but showed comparable performance in tasks involving Stimulus-Response conflict. Specific effects of language proficiency on cognitive control were observed: group differences in auditory inhibition and visual orienting were only observed between high-proficient bilinguals and monolinguals. Taken together, types of conflicts i...
Recent theories propose that language-switching in bilinguals influences executive control. We in... more Recent theories propose that language-switching in bilinguals influences executive control. We investigated whether switching behaviour, shaped by the bilingual's interactional context as well as personal preferences impacted attentional control. We compared four groups – (i) Edinburgh monolinguals, (ii) Edinburgh non-switching late bilinguals, (iii) Edinburgh non-switching early bilinguals, and (iv) Singapore switching early bilinguals – on two tasks of attentional control. Effects of interactional context were observed, with Singapore bilinguals performing better on conflict resolution in the Attention Network Task and Edinburgh late bilinguals on attentional switching in the Elevator reversal (Test of Everyday Attention) subtest. Our results suggest that the interactional context of bilinguals could impact attentional control differently.
Significant progress made over the last few decades in the management and treatment of many neuro... more Significant progress made over the last few decades in the management and treatment of many neurodegenerative diseases. However, successful translation of effective therapeutic compounds from animal models to humans has been disappointing. This chapter provides an overview of the current models of drug development and clinical trial design along with a summary of the advantages and limitations of each model. The chapter also discusses the challenges of performing clinical trials in neurodegenerative disorders, including the selection of appropriate biomarkers of disease activity and the appropriate definition of meaningful clinical outcomes, and identifies promising new approaches towards the development of efficacious disease modifying therapeutics.
Increasing evidence suggests that life course factors such as education and bilingualism may have... more Increasing evidence suggests that life course factors such as education and bilingualism may have a protective role against dementia due to Alzheimer disease. This study aimed to compare the effects of education and bilingualism on the onset of cognitive decline at the stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A total of 115 patients with MCI evaluated in a specialty memory clinic in Hyderabad, India, formed the cohort. MCI was diagnosed according to Petersen's criteria following clinical evaluation and brain imaging. Age at onset of MCI was compared between bilinguals and monolinguals, and across subjects with high and low levels of education, adjusting for possible confounding variables. The bilingual MCI patients were found to have a clinical onset of cognitive complaints 7.4 years later than monolinguals (65.2 vs. 58.1 years; p = 0.004), while years of education was not associated with delayed onset (1-10 years of education, 59.1 years; 11-15 years of education, 62.6 years; ...
The terms “native speaker” (NS) and “non-native speaker” (NNS) continue to be widely used in appl... more The terms “native speaker” (NS) and “non-native speaker” (NNS) continue to be widely used in applied linguistics and foreign language learning and teaching despite a growing wave of criticism about the difficulty in defining them accurately, the (neo)racist ideology they reflect and the deficit view they perpetuate among foreign language learners and teachers. These issues are explored in more detail, focusing on the history of the terms NS/NNS and their enduring perverse social consequences. We consider alternative views and explain the reasoning behind the development of a new terminology: “L1 user versus LX user” (Dewaele 2018). We conclude that the field needs to abandon the toxic terms “NS/NNS” and adopt neutral terms that emphasise the equal status of first and foreign language users – which can often be the same person
Studies examining the potential effects of bilingualism on interference suppression show inconsis... more Studies examining the potential effects of bilingualism on interference suppression show inconsistent results. Our study approaches this topic by distinguishing two potential subcomponents within interference suppression (i.e., Stimulus-Stimulus and Stimulus-Response conflict). We investigated the two subcomponents through their operationalisation in different tasks and examined the role of language proficiency in modulating it. A sample of 111 young adult participants performed four non-linguistic cognitive tasks measuring both visual and auditory domains of cognitive control. Bilinguals outperformed monolinguals in tasks involving Stimulus-Stimulus conflict, but showed comparable performance in tasks involving Stimulus-Response conflict. Specific effects of language proficiency on cognitive control were observed: group differences in auditory inhibition and visual orienting were only observed between high-proficient bilinguals and monolinguals. Taken together, types of conflicts i...
Recent theories propose that language-switching in bilinguals influences executive control. We in... more Recent theories propose that language-switching in bilinguals influences executive control. We investigated whether switching behaviour, shaped by the bilingual's interactional context as well as personal preferences impacted attentional control. We compared four groups – (i) Edinburgh monolinguals, (ii) Edinburgh non-switching late bilinguals, (iii) Edinburgh non-switching early bilinguals, and (iv) Singapore switching early bilinguals – on two tasks of attentional control. Effects of interactional context were observed, with Singapore bilinguals performing better on conflict resolution in the Attention Network Task and Edinburgh late bilinguals on attentional switching in the Elevator reversal (Test of Everyday Attention) subtest. Our results suggest that the interactional context of bilinguals could impact attentional control differently.
Significant progress made over the last few decades in the management and treatment of many neuro... more Significant progress made over the last few decades in the management and treatment of many neurodegenerative diseases. However, successful translation of effective therapeutic compounds from animal models to humans has been disappointing. This chapter provides an overview of the current models of drug development and clinical trial design along with a summary of the advantages and limitations of each model. The chapter also discusses the challenges of performing clinical trials in neurodegenerative disorders, including the selection of appropriate biomarkers of disease activity and the appropriate definition of meaningful clinical outcomes, and identifies promising new approaches towards the development of efficacious disease modifying therapeutics.
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