Elderly Brains Benefit from Internet Lessons
Learning to Surf the Net Helps Seniors Think More Clearly
Oct 21, 2009
Neurological researchers at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Health Sciences have shown that teaching seniors how to surf the net leads to beneficial changes in parts of brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning.
The research, reported at the 2009 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, suggests that internet training can stimulate neural activation patterns and could potentially enhance brain function and cognition in older adults.
It backs up other American studies into brain training, as well as Australian studies into brain processes showing that “use it or lose it” applies to brain function as much as muscular fitness.
As the brain ages, a number of structural and functional changes occur, including atrophy, reductions in cell activity and increases in deposits of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which can impact cognitive function.
Internet "Newbies" Gain Most from Learning to Surf
Dr. Gary Small, professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, and his colleagues found that older people new to using the Internet made greater initial gains in brain function than their more internet-savvy contemporaries.
Twenty four volunteers between the ages of 55 and 78 took part in the UCLA study. Half the participants already used the Internet daily, while the other half had very little experience. Both groups were similar in age range, educational level and gender.
The participants performed internet searches while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, which tracked brain activity by measuring the level of blood flow to different parts of the brain during cognitive tasks.
The scans showed the newbies or "naives" had comparatively more blood flow to the regions controlling language, reading, memory and visual abilities, located in the brain’s frontal, temporal, parietal, visual and posterior cingulate regions, than the Internet savvy people.
"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," Dr Small reported.
Practice Reinforces Positive Brain Changes
Study participants were then asked to practice at home for one hour a day for a total of seven days over two weeks. They were to use the Internet to answer questions about various topics by exploring different websites and reading the information on them.
After the practice period, participants underwent another fMRI scan while doing an Internet search. This second scan showed activation of the same brain regions as before, as well as triggering other areas – the middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus – known to be important in working memory and decision-making.
Surprisingly, there was far less difference in blood flow between the naives and the "savvies."
Previous research by the UCLA team had found that searching online resulted in a more than double increase in brain activation in older adults with prior experience, compared with those with little internet experience.
Dr. Small said the new findings suggested that it may only take a few days of practice for the newbies to match the activity levels of those with years of experience.
Surfing the Net a Good Brain Exercise for Seniors
Searching online may be a simple form of brain exercise to enhance cognition in older adults," said Dr. Teena D. Moody, the study's first author and a senior research associate at the Semel Institute at UCLA.
She pointed out that doing an internet search involved the ability to hold important information in working memory and to extract the important points from competing graphics and words.
The UCLA research adds another tool for seniors wanting to prevent cognitive decline, in addition to card and board games, crossword puzzles, number puzzles, reading, listening to and playing music.
"Use it or Lose It" Applies to Brain Functions
It seems it literally is a case of "use it or lose it" as far as brain cells go. Queensland neuroscientists have shown that brain cells die if not stimulated.
Dr. Elizabeth Coulson and her team from the Queensland Brain Institute showed that if a cell is not appropriately stimulated by other cells, it self-destructs. The research was published in the Journal of Neuroscience in 2008.
This self-destruction process is known to be an important factor in stroke, Alzheimer's and motor neuron diseases, leading to the loss of essential nerve cells from the adult brain.
"We know that a lack of both chemical and electrical stimuli causes the cells to self-destruct," Dr. Coulson said.
"But we believe that nerve cells will survive if appropriate electrical stimuli are produced to block the self-destruct process that we have identified."
In comparison to an elderly brain, a baby's brain generates roughly double the number of nerve cells it needs to function, with those cells that receive both chemical and electrical stimuli surviving, and the remaining cells dying.
For more on this topic, see Benefits of Brain Training for Older Adults and Brain Training could Delay Dementia
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