PhD candidate
Janine started her PhD project under the supervision of Merel Keijzer, Vincent DeLuca and Greg Poarch at the University of Groningen in September 2022. Janine did a BA in European Languages and Cultures (French, (applied) linguistics) and a BA in Classical Studies. During these Bachelor programs, she became fascinated with how bilingualism affects neurocognition and its potential for healthy aging. After a minor in neurosciences, she decided to follow a MSc in Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences. During her Master’s, she joined the BALAB for her research projects, during which she used neurophysiological techniques such as resting-state EEG to explore how second language learning and language usage affect the brain’s resting-state network. Janine is now working on an NWO-funded project on how bilingual experiences affect brain activity and cognitive performance in people aged 45 to 65 years-old and how this effect is modulated by genetic risk-factors for Alzheimer’s Disease.
Project description
Genetics, Language Experience & Aging project
As societies are aging, age-associated illnesses such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are increasingly more common. Research has shown that bilingualism may compensate for cognitive decline in seniors and even attenuate an AD diagnosis.
In Janine’s project, multilingual experiences (e.g., current language use) are related to cognitive functioning and brain activity in middle-aged adults (45 to 65 years-old) Moreover, the project explores how this is modulated by genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The project consists of an epidemiological leg in which we collaborate with Lifelines, and an experimental leg in which we use neurophysiological tools, such as electroencaphalography (EEG) and functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) at rest and on-task, to investigate the effect of multilingual experiences on neurocognition in middle-aged adults. This project is supervised by Prof. dr. Merel Keijzer, dr. Greg Poarch and Prof. dr. Vincent Deluca (UiT- Universitetet i Tromsø). The project is funded by the NWO (PhD in the Humanities - PGW.22.040).
