The Donostia research center Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) has launched an ambitious research project, funded by the European Commission, aimed at analyzing the role of bilingualism as a protective barrier against dyslexia..
Preliminary studies provide evidence in this direction. In an experiment with bilingual Basque–Spanish children, those who had been more exposed to a bilingual environment from an early age showed better reading performance. On the other hand, scientific literature has found similarities between the brain structure of bilingual individuals and those with dyslexia.
The “Bibalance” initiative was created with the challenge of shedding light on this paradox through a five-year research project. It is currently in the recruitment phase, seeking bilingual Basque–Spanish children in their final year of preschool who have family members with dyslexia.
“Our data show that when we grow up in a bilingual environment and are more exposed from infancy to different languages within the same context, the brain develops differently and better reading skills are observed. Now we want to demonstrate that this exposure can also help mitigate the risk of developing dyslexia,” highlights Marie Lallier, Ikerbasque Professor and leader of BCBL’s “Neuroeducation and Developmental Disorders” group.
The young volunteers will visit the center at three learning stages: the final year of preschool, first grade of primary school, and second grade of primary school. In each cycle, they will complete three sessions of tests adapted to their characteristics.
They will watch films or listen to stories while their brain signals are recorded using the non-invasive neuroimaging techniques available in the center’s laboratories. These technologies, such as magnetoencephalography, will allow researchers to observe, with high temporal resolution, how the brain responds to linguistic stimuli.
“We will take a snapshot of each child’s brain structure to visualize the white matter—that is, the neural connections—how they are organized, how they develop, and whether there is any relationship with bilingualism and, of course, with reading and language skills,” adds Lallier.
In addition, some tasks—such as language and attention games—will be carried out outside these machines that measure brain activity, in order to assess different cognitive and language abilities. The tests will help the BCBL team analyze the children’s genetic risk of dyslexia.
“To a greater or lesser extent, we all share a risk of developing reading difficulties such as dyslexia during learning. And this risk is partly genetic,” adds Marie Lallier.
The challenge is to identify early compensatory strategies developed by children at risk of dyslexia to help them adapt to future language difficulties.
Two projects united
During the data collection process, which will be extended to other age ranges and different profiles throughout development, Marie Lallier’s project will join forces with another BCBL initiative also funded by the European Commission.
Led by the scientific director of the Donostia-based center, Manuel Carreiras, the “Cortical Rhythms” project focuses more on identifying early indicators of dyslexia—that is, the signs that help detect it before it affects reading and writing.
“Taken together, we hope to identify early brain markers that allow us to predict the risk of dyslexia before formal reading instruction, as well as to understand the compensatory strategies that could prevent a future diagnosis of dyslexia. These findings could contribute to earlier detection and intervention, supporting the design of personalized educational and therapeutic strategies,” Lallier concludes.
Families interested in participating can contact BCBL by email at m.paniego@bcbl.eu, by phone at +34 943 309 300, or via WhatsApp at +34 664 424 461.
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