- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Overweight Moms More Likely to Have Asthmatic Kids
- Air Quality Better in Northeast, Midwest
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- U.S. Spends Billions On Alternative Medicine
- Placebo Acupuncture Tied to Higher IVF Pregnancies
- Taking the Mystery Out of Hypnotherapy
- ANIMAL CARE
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Beware of Dog Bites
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- Backpack Safety Should Be on Back-to-School Lists
- B Cells Can Act Alone in Autoimmune Diseases
- Using a Balloon to Repair a Broken Back
- CANCER
- Lifting Weights Can Ease Arm Swelling in Breast Cancer Survivors
- Get to Know the Pap Test
- Strenuous Daily Workout May Keep Cancer at Bay
- CAREGIVING
- Bariatric Surgery Centers Don't Deliver Better Outcomes
- UV Lights, Fans May Curb TB Spread in Hospitals
- Medication Errors Could Be Cut: Experts
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Support Network May Play Role in Benefits of Drinking
- Grapefruit-Heavy Diet Helped Spur Dangerous Clot
- Secondhand Smoke Quickly Affects Blood Vessels
- COSMETIC
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- What to Do If You Have Unsightly Veins
- Health Tip: After Liposuction
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Most Insured Adults Worry About Health Care Costs: Poll
- Gum Disease Treatment Doesn't Cut Preterm Birth Risk
- Mom's Vitamin D Levels Affect Baby's Dental Health
- DIABETES
- Laughter May Lower Heart Attack Risk in Diabetics
- Doctors Urged to Screen Diabetics for Sleep Apnea
- Poor Blood Sugar Control After Heart Surgery Impacts Outcomes
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Herb Shows Potential for Rheumatoid Arthriti
- Imagine Food Aromas That Prevent Overeating
- Successful Weight Loss Shows Unique Brain Patterns
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Chemical in Plastics May Cause Fertility Problems
- Hypertension May Hit Black Males Earlier
- Exposure to 9/11 Fumes Tied to Chronic Headaches
- EYE CARE, VISION
- 'Blind' Man Navigates Obstacle Course Without Error
- Magnetic Pulses to Brain Improve Lazy Eye in Adults
- Unconscious Learning: In the Eye of the Beholder?
- FITNESS
- Research Confirms How Valuable A Healthy Lifestyle Can Be
- Higher Fitness Levels Tied to Lower Heart, Death Risks
- Maximize Your Run
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- Peppermint Oil, Fiber Can Fight Irritable Bowel
- Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Be Healthy, Spend Less
- Want to Stop Cancer? You Can, Experts Say
- Keep Safety in Mind While Your Kids Are Cooling Off in the Water
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Subway Defibrillators Save Lives
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Man's Best Friend Helps Mend Broken Hearts
- Vitamin B3 May Help Repair Brain After a Stroke
- Small Cuts in Salt Intake Spur Big Drops in Heart Trouble
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Grapefruit Compound Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus
- More Medicinal Uses for Pomegranate
- Swine Flu Is Now a Pandemic Says W.H.O.
- KID'S HEALTH
- Pregnant Women Exposed To Certain Pollutants Could Lower Childs IQ
- Health Tip: Back Pain in Children
- St. John's Wort Doesn't Work for ADHD
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Drinking Green Tea May Slow Prostate Cancer
- Whole Grains, Bran May Fight Hypertension in Men
- Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Environmental Chemicals May Affect Male Reproduction
- How to Attack Holiday Stress Head-On
- Love Hormone May Ease Discussion of Painful Topics
- PREGNANCY
- Before Conceiving, Take Folic Acid for One Full Year
- Heart Defects in Newborns Linked to Antidepressants
- Expectant Mom's Exercise Keeps Newborn's Birth Weight Down
- SENIORS
- Life Expectancy in U.S. Hits New High
- Eating Well And Keeping Active As You Grow Old Will Help You Stay Sharp
- Video Gaming Just Might Fight Aging
Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
By eHolistic.com Published: 10/20/2009
(HealthDay News) -- Surfing the Internet just might be a way to preserve your mental skills as you age.
Researchers found that older adults who started browsing the Web experienced improved brain function after only a few days.
"You can teach an old brain new technology tricks," said Dr. Gary Small, a psychiatry professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of iBrain. With people who had little Internet experience, "we found that after just a week of practice, there was a much greater extent of activity particularly in the areas of the brain that make decisions, the thinking brain -- which makes sense because, when you're searching online, you're making a lot of decisions," he said. "It's interactive."
Small is co-author of the research, which was scheduled to be presented Monday in Chicago at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.
"This makes intuitive sense, that getting on the Internet and exploring and getting new information and learning would help," said Paul Sanberg, director of the University of South Florida Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa. "It supports the value of exploring the Internet for the elderly."
Most experts now advocate a "use-it-or-lose-it" approach to mental functioning.
"We found a number of years ago that people who engaged in cognitive activities had better functioning and perspective than those who did not," said Dr. Richard Lipton, a professor of neurology and epidemiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and director of the Einstein Aging Study. "Our study is often referenced as the crossword-puzzle study -- that doing puzzles, writing for pleasure, playing chess and engaging in a broader array of cognitive activities seem to protect against age-related decline in cognitive function and also dementia."
The new study takes the use-it-or-lose-it concept into the 21st century.
For the research, 24 neurologically normal adults, aged 55 to 78, were asked to surf the Internet while hooked up to an MRI machine. Before the study began, half the participants had used the Internet daily, and the other half had little experience with it.
After an initial MRI scan, the participants were instructed to do Internet searches for an hour on each of seven days in the next two weeks. They then returned to the clinic for more brain scans.
"At baseline, those with prior Internet experience showed a much greater extent of brain activation," Small said.
After at-home practice, however, those who had just been introduced to the Internet were catching up to those who were old hands, the study found.
"This is a demonstration that, over a relatively short period of time, patterns of brain activation while engaging in cognitive activities change," Lipton said. "That is at least a first step toward gaining insight into the mechanisms that might allow cognitive engagement to influence brain function."
But, Small said, beware how you use the Internet.
"You can exercise your mind by using the Internet, but it depends on how it's used," he explained. "If you get hooked on gambling or eBay shopping, that may not be positive."
SOURCES: Gary Small, M.D., professor, psychiatry, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles; Richard Lipton, M.D., professor, neurology and epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City; Paul Sanberg, Ph.D., D.Sc., professor, neurosurgery, and director, University of South Florida Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, Tampa, Fla.; Oct. 19, 2009, presentation, Society for Neuroscience 2009 meeting, Chicago
