Study: Internet Use Boosts Brain Activity

Chicago, IL (AHN) – Web surfing among older adults with little Internet experience has been shown to give their brain function a significant boost, according to a new study.

The University of California, Los Angeles researchers said in a statement that Internet use among new Web users triggers key centers in the brain that control decision making and complex reasoning after just one week. The researchers presented their findings at the Oct. 19 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago.

The researchers worked with 24 volunteers between 55 and 78 who had normal brain function. Half the participants said they had little experience using the Internet. Age, education level and gender were similar between the two groups.

The levels in brain activity were measured using magnetic resonance imaging before and after the two-week experiment began. In between, the participants conducted Internet searches at home for one hour a day, seven days a week, for two weeks.

In the end, the brain activation patterns among the computer novices were “very similar” to those seen in the savvy Internet users, the researchers said in a statement.

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