Aphasia is a condition in which those who have suffered a brain injury, such as a stroke, become impaired in their ability to use and understand language. Recent studies show that while being bilingual adds difficulty to the rehabilitation process, due to the disruption between the two languages, being able to fluently speak two languages can be used as an aid in recovery. Interestingly enough, focusing on rehabilitation in the secondary language results in a “transfer effect” to the primary. Correlations between syntax, phonology, vocabulary and meaning aid language rehabilitation, but the researchers say working on cognates help the most with language transfer. This interesting application of bilingualism will hopefully lead to even more beneficial rehabilitation methods.

The original article can be found here: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266743.php