Mapping the functional dynamics of language control and executive functions in the bilingual brain with magnetoencephalography

Abstract

Bilingualism has been associated with differences in brain function and organization, although findings remain inconsistent. This review examines magnetoencephalography (MEG) as a method that contributes to understanding the neural implementation of language control and executive functions in bilinguals. By directly measuring neural activity with millisecond temporal resolution, MEG can reveal the timing, spatial distribution, and frequency-specific dynamics of such processes. Task-based MEG studies have identified bilingualism-related neural differences during language control and non-verbal executive-control tasks, including cases in which bilinguals and monolinguals show comparable behavioral performance. Resting-state studies have further revealed differences in functional connectivity and large-scale network topology in related networks which are associated with bilingual experiences. Together, these findings demonstrate the value of MEG for characterizing bilingualism-related differences in both task-evoked control processes and intrinsic brain organization. As such, MEG emerges as a method that could help refine neurocognitive theories of the effects of bilingualism on the brain.