Searching the Internet Can Enhance Brain Function in Older Adults

By Richard Shank

Scientists at UCLA examined the brain performance of middle- and older-age adults during both Internet usage and book-reading tasks. They found that skilled computer users experience the same cognitive benefits that all book-reading participants experienced. The key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning are active in both instances.

The research involved taking two groups of adults (55 to 76 years of age) and dividing them between experienced computer users and non-experienced computer users. Study participants performed web searches and book-reading tasks while receiving Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. These MRI scans recorded the subtle brain communication changes that occurred during these activities. The MRI is designed to track the intensity of the response of neural cells to stimulation, by measuring the blood flow in the brain.

Every study participant showed significant brain activity during the reading activity. However, only the experienced computer group demonstrated the same complex reasoning and decision-making activity during their web usage. Surprisingly, for those who had previous Internet experience, the brain activity was actually more expansive than during the book reading portion of the study. They experienced as much as two times the brain activity in these regions of higher level thinking.

The researchers believe that this spike in brain activity is related to the broader range of choices that must be made while surfing the Internet. Furthermore, they believe that participants in this study who had no previous experience with the Internet did not experience the same brain responses because they were unfamiliar with common strategies for navigating the web. This is a common response whenever a new task is being learned.

These findings suggest that the newly emerging computer technologies carry with them the potential for positive brain health effects. However, they caution that the conditions under which these technologies can introduce risks to cognitive health have yet to be explored in detail.

Source: Small, G. 2009 In Press. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and UCLA press release.

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