Research finds that online searching can increase brain activity in older adults

A team of scientists at the University of California Los Angeles report that new Internet users between the ages of 55 and 78 improved their scores on decision-making and complex reasoning tests after just seven days online. The researchers said they found that surfing the Web seemed to stimulate neural activity and possibly enhance cognitive functioning in those mature Internet beginners. Just a week online increased brain activity twofold in the oldest Internet users studied, according to the scientists. The researchers reported that using the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that usually atrophy with age and lack of use. However, when people begin using the Internet, it positively affects cognitive functions and alters the way the brain encodes new information.