Senior brains get a Web boost

William Atkins
Tuesday, 20 October 2009 21:35

Science - Health

Dr. Gary W. Small, one of the researchers of the study and a professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, stated, "We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function,"

The first brain scan of the participants with only a bare minimum of Internet experience showed neurological activity in the areas of the brain controlling language, memory, reading, and visual abilities.

When this same group of notice Internet users were scanned a second time, after about one week of home experience on the Web, the fMRI scans showed further enhancement of these same regions of the brain.

The researchers also found, however, that there was new activity in the middle frontal gyrus (which makes up about one-third of the frontal lobe of the brain) and inferior frontal gyrus (which is a gyrus of the frontal lobe of the brain) regions of the brain.

These two areas of the brain direct working memory and decision making abilities.

In fact, the researchers found that the group of novice users of the Internet showed similar brain patterns as the experienced group of Internet users.

The authors suggest that performing Internet searchers and using the Web for various activities on a regular basis may be “… a simple form of brain exercise that might be employed to enhance cognition in older adults.” [MSNBC]