Earlier this month, a few members of the BLB Lab flew to Spain for the International Symposium on Bilingualism (ISB15). Anna, Sonia and Lydia were honoured to join forces with Anna Gasa Roqué, their collaborator from the Bellvitge University Hospital in Barcelona, and present a four-part symposium entitled “The unexplored power of translational research: Applying insights from awake brain surgery to our current understanding of the bilingual mind”.
To give you some context, ISB15 is a biennal conference that has grown to be the most significant event in the field of bilingualism. This year it focused on multidisciplinary research output from a range of fields, including linguistics, neuroscience, and psychology, which lie at the core of the BLB Lab research. What’s more, the conference took place in beautiful Donostia-San Sebastián, at the heart of the Spanish Basque Country, where the bilingual heritage is alive across all aspects of society.
The BLB-organised symposium on translational research offered a deep dive into the fascinating world of intraoperative language testing and management of bilingual brain tumour patients. Designed to guide attendees through this complex field, the symposium began with Anna Piasecki providing a comprehensive introduction to the procedure and laying the groundwork with essential concepts and terminology. From there, the presentations gradually zoomed in, taking the audience on a journey that span from bilingualism’s role in shaping the brain to the challenges of preserving language skills of bilingual patients.
After the introduction, Anna Gasa-Roqué explored the effects of bilingualism in brain tumour patients, showing how being bilingual changes both the structure and functionality of the brain. Sonia Mariotti then focused on the important role of cognitive flexibility involved in switching between languages, and how this ability should be preserved in bilingual brain tumour patients. Finally, the symposium ended with Lydia Wiernik, who presented a compelling case study on bimodal bilingualism, showing that both spoken English and British Sign Language can be tested and preserved during awake surgery.
Each presentation built on the last, creating a layered and immersive experience that reflected the depth and diversity of research in this area. Feedback from the audience resonated with this aspect, and fellow academics expressed genuine enthusiasm for the symposium, describing it as both intellectually enriching and clinically vital. Many highlighted the lab’s work as not only fascinating but also deeply important – pushing the boundaries of what we understand about the bilingual brain.
Presenting at ISB15 was an incredible opportunity to share the BLB Lab research with the intenational academic community. We hope that our perspective on translational research inspires more interdisciplinary collaboration between linguists, neuroscientists, and clinicians to improve intraoperative care for everyone.
