A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Language and Cognition in the Developing Bilingual Brain: From Infancy to Adolescence

Research investigating the neural mechanisms of language and cognition in bilingual children is steadily growing. We reviewed fMRI and fNIRS studies to identify brain regions engaged during linguistic and cognitive tasks of bilingual compared to monolingual children. Out of 26 eligible studies, six fMRI studies were included into an exploratory coordinate-based meta-analysis, whereas fNIRS papers lacked sufficient statistical and methodological data for meta-analysis. Results suggest that: (1) bilinguals’ neural correlates of language and cognition revealed clusters across classic language areas; however, differences were discerned based on bilinguals’ age of acquisition; (2) comparisons considering bilingual age of acquisition groups and age-matched monolinguals revealed differences in activation within the IFG – sole area identified in the fMRI meta-analysis – among other regions across the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. Overall, activation patterns in bilingual children align with those of bilingual adult studies, highlighting involvement of key frontal and temporal regions in language and cognition.