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Google Your Way to Mental Health

Neuroscientists Find Surfing the Net has Neural Benefits for Older Adults

April 1, 2009

Neuroscientists found that when searching the Internet, web-savvy older adults utilize more of their brain than other adults their age. Neuroscientists examined fMRI scans of participants' brains--revealing the various engaged brain-circuits during each task. In a comparison of two groups of older adults-- web-savvy versus web-rookie-- researchers found that while all individuals experienced significant brain activity in reading a book, an Internet-searching task separated the groups. Persons with prior web browsing experience showed twice as much brain activity--mostly in the decision-making part of the brain.

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ABOUT SEARCH ENGINES: There are differences in the ways various search engines work, but they all perform three basic tasks. They search the Internet -- or select pieces of the Internet -- based on important words. They keep an index of the words they find, and where they find them. They allow users to look for words or combinations of words found in that index.

WHAT IS fMRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field rather than X-rays to take clear and detailed pictures of internal organs and tissues. fMRI, or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, uses this technology to identify regions of the brain where blood vessels are expanding, chemical changes are taking place, or extra oxygen is being delivered. These are indications that a particular part of the brain is processing information and giving commands to the body. As a patient performs a particular task, the metabolism will increase in the brain area responsible for that task, changing the signal in the MRI image, allowing scientists to locate the part of the brain that governs that function.

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On The Web: Dr. Gary Small's Webpage

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Rachel Champeau
Public Affairs
University of California - Los Angeles
rchampeau@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2270


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