University of California-San Francisco · NeuroscienceThe Bilingual Brain Lab
Boon Lead Tee · San Francisco, California
Research Focus
Dr. Boon Lead Tee's lab at UCSF focuses on understanding how bilingualism impacts cognitive health, particularly in relation to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. By studying diverse populations across multiple cultures and languages, the lab aims to uncover the ways bilingual experiences may contribute to cognitive resilience and longevity. This interdisciplinary approach combines neuroimaging, behavioral assessments, and social factors to better understand the complex relationships between language, cognition, and health.
bilingualismcognitive reserveAlzheimer's diseaseneuroimaginghealth disparitiesmulticultural studiesexecutive controlsocioeconomic statuscognitionaging
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the impact of bilingualism on cognitive health in diverse populations.
AIM 02Examine the relationship between bilingualism and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.
AIM 03Develop a theoretical framework on bilingualism's effects on cognitive reserve.
AIM 04Analyze social determinants of health in relation to bilingualism and cognition.
AIM 05Collect and integrate data from multicultural cohorts to enhance understanding of bilingualism.
Skills the Lab Values
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)cognitive assessmentbiomarker analysisdata collectionmultilingual research methodssocial determinants of health analysispopulation cohort studiesstatistical analysislongitudinal study designcross-cultural research techniques
Output against the department
Publications83bottom 24% of dept.504th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations861bottom 4% of dept.644th of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.