ABSTRACT
Recent advances in our understanding of the neural bases of the brain’s structure(s) have critically shaped research on second language (L2) and bilingualism. The emergence and wider-scale use of neuroimaging methods in the last 30 years has increasingly enabled investigating the structural brain changes, revealing a high level of neuroplasticity for the bilingual brain. This chapter describes the neuroimaging methods that enable the analysis of the structural changes that occur in response to bilingualism and L2 acquisition. First, the chapter describes the most used methods, including techniques to study the brain’s gray and white matter, and the neurostructural adaptations that occur in the face of L2 language acquisition and bilingualism. Then each technique is exemplified through key research articles. Finally, the chapter concludes by offering some potential developments for future research and discussing how new structural neuroimaging techniques may further our understanding of neurophysiological effects of bilingualism.
