Small et al. (2009) :: Your Brain on Google: Patterns of Cerebral Activation during Internet Searching
Objective: Previous research suggests that engaging in mentally stimulating tasks may im-
prove brain health and cognitive abilities. Using computer search engines to find information
on the Internet has become a frequent daily activity of people at any age, including middle-
aged and older adults. As a preliminary means of exploring the possible influence of Internet
experience on brain activation patterns, the authors performed functional magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) of the brain in older persons during search engine use and explored whether
prior search engine experience was associated with the pattern of brain activation during
Internet use. Design: Cross-sectional, exploratory observational study Participants: The au-
thors studied 24 subjects (age, 55–76 years) who were neurologically normal, of whom 12 had
minimal Internet search engine experience (Net Naive group) and 12 had more extensive
experience (Net Savvy group). The mean age and level of education were similar in the two
groups. Measurements: Patterns of brain activation during functional MRI scanning were
determined while subjects performed a novel Internet search task, or a control task of reading
text on a computer screen formatted to simulate the prototypic layout of a printed book, where
the content was matched in all respects, in comparison with a nontext control task. Results:
The text reading task activated brain regions controlling language, reading, memory, and
visual abilities, including left inferior frontal, temporal, posterior cingulate, parietal, and
occipital regions, and both the magnitude and the extent of brain activation were similar in
the Net Naive and Net Savvy groups. During the Internet search task, the Net Naive group
showed an activation pattern similar to that of their text reading task, whereas the Net Savvy
group demonstrated significant increases in signal intensity in additional regions controlling
decision making, complex reasoning, and vision, including the frontal pole, anterior temporal
region, anterior and posterior cingulate, and hippocampus. Internet searching was associated
with a more than twofold increase in the extent of activation in the major regional clusters in
the Net Savvy group compared with the Net Naive group (21,782 versus 8,646 total activated
voxels). Conclusion: Although the present findings must be interpreted cautiously in light of
the exploratory design of this study, they suggest that Internet searching may engage a greater
extent of neural circuitry not activated while reading text pages but only in people with prior
computer and Internet search experience. These observations suggest that in middle-aged and
older adults, prior experience with Internet searching may alter the brain’s responsiveness in
neural circuits controlling decision making and complex reasoning.(Am J Geriatr Psychiatry
2009; 17:116 –126)
Key Words: Brain activation, functional MRI, Internet search, middle-age and older
adults, computer experience
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