When the Web Helps Keep the Old Young
arindam
arindam
28 Oct, 2009
Internet training can stimulate neural activation patterns and could potentially enhance brain function and cognition in older adults.
Internet training can stimulate neural activation patterns and could potentially enhance brain function and cognition in older adults. A UCLA team worked with 24 neurologically normal volunteers between the ages of 55 and 78. Prior to the study, half the participants used the Net daily, while the other half had very little experience. The participants performed web searches while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. After the initial brain scan, subjects went home and conducted Net searches for one hour a day for a total of seven days over a two-week period. They then got a second brain scan using the same Internet simulation task, but with different topics.
The first scan of participants with little web experience showed brain activity in the regions controlling language, reading, memory and visual abilities.
The second scan, conducted after the home practice searches, showed activation of these same regions, but there was also activity in areas of the brain known to be important in working memory and decision making.
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