Hormones and bilingualism may bolster brain resilience against dementia

Canadian COMPASS-ND data show that bilingualism, verbal memory and sex hormones interact to shape brain resilience and dementia risk: higher resilience links to lower dementia pathology and better cognition, with bilingual men showing notably greater protection; aromatization of testosterone to estradiol may boost verbal memory. The study calls for broader diagnostics beyond verbal memory and more research on how hormones influence aging brains.