Can Internet use prevent and slow cognitive decline?

Several research studies point to this hopeful possibility.

The plasticity of our brain, which allows it to be modified in both function and structure (Kolb and Whishaw, 1998), has been key to the great capacity of human beings to adapt to the environment, allowing us to adapt to a multitude of environments and colonize every corner of the Earth.

Among other functions, this malleability makes it possible that, in interaction with the environment, we can increase our cognitive reserve, which in turn allows us to increase our cognitive reserve.This, in turn, allows for greater brain plasticity. The concept of cognitive reserve refers to the fact that, when performing tasks that require greater brain activity in a given area, the capacity to use alternative brain networks more efficiently is developed, which can serve as a self-protection mechanism against, for example, cognitive deterioration associated with age or injury caused by trauma (Rodríguez-Álvarez and Sánchez-Rodríguez, 2004).

What is the impact of Internet use on this use of cognitive resources?

Effect of Computer Use on Cognitive Performance

Patricia Tun and Margie Lachman (2010), from Brandeis University, conducted a study with a sample drawn from the MIDUS (Midlife Development in the United States) program. This sample, composed of 2671 participants, covered a range of adults between the ages of 32 and 84, of different socioeconomic status and different educational level.

First, participants answered a series of questions assessing the frequency with which they used their computer. After this, a battery of tests was used to measure different cognitive domains such as verbal episodic memory, working memory capacity, executive function (verbal fluency), inductive reasoning and processing speed. In addition, another test was conducted that measured the reaction time and speed with which participants alternated between two tasks, which required substantial performance of central executive functions, which in turn play a critical role in computer use.

Obtaining these data allowed the researchers to hypothesize whether there is an association between a higher frequency of computer use and a higher frequency of computer use. an association between higher frequency of computer use and hypothesized better performance in executive functions.comparing between individuals who are similar in basic intellectual abilities as well as in age, sex, education and health status.

The results

After analyzing the results, and controlling for demographic variables that could interfere with the results, a positive correlation was seen between frequency of computer use and cognitive performance across the entire age range.. Furthermore, in individuals with the same cognitive ability, greater computer use was associated with better performance of executive functions in the two-task alternation test. This latter effect of better control of executive functions was more pronounced in individuals with lower intellectual abilities and with fewer educational advantages, which was a compensation for their situation.

In conclusion, the researchers argue that these results are consistent with research that has found that performing tasks involving considerable mental activity can help maintain cognitive abilities at a good level throughout adulthood.

In light of these facts, the importance of universalizing the use of computers and access to the Internet is raised.. Based on the hypothesis that a truly stimulating mental activity is beneficial both for intellectual capacities and for reinforcing cognitive reserve, it can be inferred that promoting these technologies by the authorities would be an investment in the quality of life of citizens.

What does neuroscience have to say about this?

Based on the aforementioned theories about how the practice of mental activities can alter patterns of neural activity, Small and coworkers (2009), of the University of California, decided to investigate how the use of new technologies changes brain structure and function. To do so, they had 24 subjects aged 55 to 78 years, who were assigned to two categories.

All subjects were similar in terms of demographics and, based on frequency and skill in computer and Internet use, 12 were included in the Internet expert group and 12 in the novice group. The tasks performed by both groups were twofold; on the one hand, they were asked to read a text in book format from which they would later evaluate themselves. On the other hand, they were asked to perform a search on a specific topic, which they would also be evaluated later, in a search engine. The topics to be read or searched were the same in both conditions. While performing these tasks, the subjects had their brains scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging to see which areas were activated while they were reading or searching.

During the text reading task, both novice Internet users and experts showed significant activation in the left hemisphere, in the frontal, temporal and temporal regions of the brain.During the text reading task, both novice Internet users and experts showed significant activation in the left hemisphere, in the frontal, temporal and parietal regions (angular gyrus), as well as in the visual cortex, hippocampus and cingulate cortex, i.e. areas involved in the control of language and visual abilities. The difference was found, as predicted by the researchers' hypothesis, in the activity during the task of searching for information on the Internet.

The data obtained, explained

While novices activated the same areas as during text reading, experts, in addition to these reading areas, activated significantly more of the frontal lobe, right anterior temporal cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, and right and left hippocampus, showing a greater spatial extent of brain activity. These areas in which there was greater activation in the experts control key mental processes for performing Internet searches correctly, such as complex reasoning and decision making. These findings may be explained by the fact that an Internet search does not only require reading text, but also constantly interacting with the stimuli that are presented..

On the other hand, in research conducted with other types of mental tasks, after a peak of high activation, brain activity tended to decrease as the subject became skilled at the task and the task became routine. and the task became routine. This, however, does not appear to be the case when using the Internet, as despite continued practice it remains a truly stimulating task for the brain, as measured in patterns of brain activity.

Based on their findings in this study, Small and his collaborators believe that, although the brain's sensitivity to new technologies may lead to problems of addiction or attention deficit in people with particularly malleable brains (children and adolescents), in general the use of these technologies will have mostly positive consequences for the quality of life of the majority of the population.. They argue this optimism on the basis that, being a mentally demanding task, they are designed to keep people cognitively awake, which will exercise their abilities and reap psychological benefits.

Harmful effects on brain function

But it's not all good news. On the other side of the coin we find arguments such as those of Nicholas Carr (author of the popular article Is Google Making Us Stupid?), which states that this reorganization of brain wiring can lead us to develop great difficulties in carrying out tasks that require sustained attention, such as, for example, reading long paragraphs of text or maintaining concentration on the same task for a certain period of time.

In his book Superficial: What is the Internet doing to our minds, referring to the approach proposed in Small's work, Carr (2010) emphasizes that "When it comes to neural activity, it is a mistake to assume that more is better". He reasons that, when it comes to processing information, the increased brain activity found in people accustomed to Internet use is not simply equivalent to exercising our brains, but causes an overload on it.

This overactivation, which does not appear in the reading of books, is due to the continuous excitation of the brain areas associated with executive functions while surfing the Net. Although it may not be visible to the naked eye, the multiple stimuli presented to us subject our brain to a constant decision-making process; for example, when we perceive a link, we must decide in a small fraction of a second whether to click on it or not.

Based on these premises, Nicholas Carr concludes that this modification of our brain function will to some extent sacrifice our capacity to retain information, which was favored by the calm and attentive reading methods required by paper texts. On the other hand, thanks to the use of the Internet, we will become magnificent and fast detectors and processors of small portions of information, because... why store so much information in my brain? why store so much information in my prehistoric brain if a silicon memory can do it for me?

Bibliographical references

• Carr, N. (2010). The shallows: How the internet is changing the way we think, read and remember. New York, NY: W.W. Norton.
• Kolb, B., & Whishaw, I. (1998). Brain plasticity and behavior. Annual Review of Psychology, 49(1), 43-64.
• Rodríguez-Álvarez, M. & Sánchez-Rodríguez, J.L. (2004). Cognitive reserve and dementia. Anales de psicología/Annals of Psychology, 20(2), 175-186
• Tun, P. A., & Lachman, M. E. (2010). The Association Between Computer Use and Cognition Across Adulthood: Use it so You Won’t Lose It? Psychology and Aging, 25(3), 560-568.
• Small, G.W., Moody, T.D., Siddarth, P., & Bookheimer, S. Y. (2009). Your brain on Google: patterns of cerebral activation during internet searching. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 17(2), 116-126.