Aging is the primary risk factor for the development of cognitive decline. Growing evidence indicates that lifestyle factors, like educational levels, occupation, exercise, and sustained engagement in cognitivelychallenging activities slow the risk of cognitive deficits. The LAnguage LeArning as neural, cognitive reserve, and BRAIN maintenance project (LALA_BRAIN) is set to investigate, at the neurolinguistic, behavioral, and neurophysiological level, the potential contribution of foreign language learning (FLL) on
the aging brain. LALA_BRAIN is aimed at contributing to the basic science of dual/multiple languagerelated effects on the brain as well as testing the potential efficacy of FLL as an intervention tool to counteract cognitive aging in a population of healthy elderly individuals, a population at risk of developing brain disorders but that can still benefit the most from occupational interventions. We envision that FLL could represent a protective tool aimed at slowing age-related cognitive decline and, in the long term, its beneficial effects span beyond language areas of the brain. Unlike other studies investigating the topic, our proposal is specifically designed to explore a wide array of cognitive domains and, for the first time, to bridge linguistic analysis with aging neuroscience-related approaches. The linguistic and behavioural outcomes will be coupled with electrophysiological recordings set to investigate the neural effects of FLL
on healthy aging individuals. The proposal will allow us to 1) explore new avenues in brain aging, 2) highlight the critical role of FLL as an environmental enrichment factor, and 3) lay the grounds for identifying a novel, cost-effective approach aimed at promoting long-lasting cognitive benefits.