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Internet alters brain activity
Have things gotten a little fuzzy lately? Can’t remember an old acquaintance’s name or your spouse’s cell phone number or what you walked down two flights of stairs to get?
Well, the latest research from the University of California Los Angeles is suggesting you just might be able to “Google your way” to an improved memory and enhanced brain function. A new study demonstrates that adults with little Internet experience showed positive changes in their brain activity after just one week online.
As the brain ages, a number of deleterious changes occur including atrophy or decay, reductions in cell activity and increases in complex deposits, which can impact cognitive function. Earlier research has shown that the mental stimulation that occurs in people who use the Internet may affect the processing and encoding of new information.
“We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function,” said Dr. Gary Small, the study’s author and professor of psychiatry at UCLA.
The UCLA research team worked with 24 neurologically normal volunteers aged 55-78. Age, education level and gender were similar between the two groups of whom half of the participants had used the Internet daily, while the other half had very little Internet experience.
In the study, the subjects performed Web searches while undergoing functional MRI scans, which recorded the subtle brain-circuitry occurring during the Internet use. This type of scan tracks brain activity by measuring the level of blood flow in the brain during cognitive tasks.
After the initial brain scan, the participants were sent home to do Internet searches for one hour a day for seven days over a two-week period using the Web to answer questions about various topics. The subjects then received a second MRI scan using the same Internet simulation task but with different topics.
The first scan of participants with little Internet experience showed brain activity in the regions controlling language, reading memory and visual abilities. The second MRI scan of this group done after the home practice searches, demonstrated activation of these same regions but — in addition — showed activity in other areas of the brain known to be important in memory and decision making.
With seven hours of Internet training at home, the Web rookies displayed brain activation patterns very similar to the Internet-savvy group.
“The results suggest that searching online may be a simple form of brain exercise that might be employed to enhance cognition in older adults,” said Teena D. Moody, one of the UCLA researchers.
These new findings suggest that it may only take days for those with minimal Internet experience to match the brain activity levels of those with years of experience. Previous research published in October 2008 by this same UCLA team found that searching online resulted in a more than twofold increase in brain activation in older adults with prior experience, compared with those with little Internet experience.
Of the 2008 study, Professor Small said, “We’re seeing an evolutionary change. The people in the next generation who are really going to have the edge are the ones who master the technological skills and also face-to-face skills.”
“The average young person now spends nine hours a day exposing their brain to technology,” Small continued. “Evolution is an advancement from moment to moment and what we are seeing is technology affecting our evolution.”
So, if you feel like you’re being left behind in the dark ages of the 20th century, get Googling.
Cord Prettyman is a certified master personal trainer and the owner of Absolute Workout Fitness and Post-Re-hab Studio in Woodland Park. He can be reached at 719-687-7437 or cordprettyman@msn.com.
Well, the latest research from the University of California Los Angeles is suggesting you just might be able to “Google your way” to an improved memory and enhanced brain function. A new study demonstrates that adults with little Internet experience showed positive changes in their brain activity after just one week online.
As the brain ages, a number of deleterious changes occur including atrophy or decay, reductions in cell activity and increases in complex deposits, which can impact cognitive function. Earlier research has shown that the mental stimulation that occurs in people who use the Internet may affect the processing and encoding of new information.
“We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function,” said Dr. Gary Small, the study’s author and professor of psychiatry at UCLA.
The UCLA research team worked with 24 neurologically normal volunteers aged 55-78. Age, education level and gender were similar between the two groups of whom half of the participants had used the Internet daily, while the other half had very little Internet experience.
In the study, the subjects performed Web searches while undergoing functional MRI scans, which recorded the subtle brain-circuitry occurring during the Internet use. This type of scan tracks brain activity by measuring the level of blood flow in the brain during cognitive tasks.
After the initial brain scan, the participants were sent home to do Internet searches for one hour a day for seven days over a two-week period using the Web to answer questions about various topics. The subjects then received a second MRI scan using the same Internet simulation task but with different topics.
The first scan of participants with little Internet experience showed brain activity in the regions controlling language, reading memory and visual abilities. The second MRI scan of this group done after the home practice searches, demonstrated activation of these same regions but — in addition — showed activity in other areas of the brain known to be important in memory and decision making.
With seven hours of Internet training at home, the Web rookies displayed brain activation patterns very similar to the Internet-savvy group.
“The results suggest that searching online may be a simple form of brain exercise that might be employed to enhance cognition in older adults,” said Teena D. Moody, one of the UCLA researchers.
These new findings suggest that it may only take days for those with minimal Internet experience to match the brain activity levels of those with years of experience. Previous research published in October 2008 by this same UCLA team found that searching online resulted in a more than twofold increase in brain activation in older adults with prior experience, compared with those with little Internet experience.
Of the 2008 study, Professor Small said, “We’re seeing an evolutionary change. The people in the next generation who are really going to have the edge are the ones who master the technological skills and also face-to-face skills.”
“The average young person now spends nine hours a day exposing their brain to technology,” Small continued. “Evolution is an advancement from moment to moment and what we are seeing is technology affecting our evolution.”
So, if you feel like you’re being left behind in the dark ages of the 20th century, get Googling.
Cord Prettyman is a certified master personal trainer and the owner of Absolute Workout Fitness and Post-Re-hab Studio in Woodland Park. He can be reached at 719-687-7437 or cordprettyman@msn.com.
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