Apart from the well-known and appreciated uses of the Internet, there might be another one, as good as or even better than all the rest. According to a new study completed by a research team from the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, searching the Web on a regular basis may stimulate and even improve the brain’s functions.

The research was supervised by Professor Dr. Gary Small, and involved 24 volunteers with ages between 55 and 76. Half of them were used to searching the Web and the other half had no Internet experience. There were no significant differences between their levels of education and age.

"The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults. Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function," Small explained for TechNewsWorld.

The studies involved Web searches and book-reading tasks for all the 24 volunteers, while the researchers recorded their brain circuitry changes using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The book-reading tests proved that the brain activity did intensify for all volunteers the during the activity but the ones with Internet experience presented an extended activation of certain areas of the brain, particularly the frontal lobes, responsible for decision making, reasoning and putting together the big picture.

Still, as the study entered its second phase, the researchers reached the conclusion that the brain is plastic and malleable even beyond 50 years, as it only took the inexperienced volunteers one week of Internet practice to reach the same brain activity as the ones using it for many years.

"There is a lot of interest in exercising the brain -- the idea of 'use it or lose it.' There are new technologies to help us do that. This study suggests that a simple, everyday task like searching the Internet could be yet another way of strengthening neural circuits and creating greater brain efficiency in the frontal lobe," said Small, who is the author of iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind.

He added that there must always be a balance in one’s activities, as the use of too much technology can have significant negative effects. By becoming addicted to it, people can experience attention deficit disorders and many other problems. This is why he insists that people should divide their focus on many different activities and balance their resources.

Dr. Small believes that people should be informed on the enhancements that computers can bring to the quality of life but at the same time understand the risks that come with a continuous activity. He offered the example of today’s average young person, who spends close to nine hours every day in front of a computer. "What's going to be the impact of that on our survival of the fittest? That could make it difficult for people to draw conclusions based on another's facial expressions," Small concluded.