Keepin' sharp

Searching the 'net may help middle-aged and senior adults keep memories sharp, Reuters reports.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles conducted a study where 24 people conducted web searches or fulfilled book-reading tasks. Meanwhile, imaging scans tracked their brain activity.

Volunteers fell between the ages of 55 and 76. Half had experience conducting internet searches; half had no web experience at all. Otherwise, they were similar in education, gender and age.

"We found that in the reading-the-book task, the visual cortex — the part of the brain that controls reading and language — was activated," observed Dr. Gary Small, a UCLA expert on aging. "In doing the internet search task, there was much greater activity, but only in the internet-savvy group."

According to Small, users familiar with the internet were able to engage their brains at a much deeper level during search activities.

"People who had internet experience used more of their brain during the search […] This suggests that just searching on the internet may train the brain – that it may keep it active and healthy," Small concluded.

In aging minds, cognitive function erodes against antagonists like atrophy and lower cell activity. Previous studies have found that actively engaging the mind — playing sudoku or completing a tough crossword puzzle, for example — can keep the brain fit, much like working out a muscle. Engaged regularly, such activities can even keep degenerative mind diseases like Alzheimer's at bay.

As of this study, Small believes online search is one such activity.