Computer literacy helps keep the brain in old age

American scientists measured brain activity in people 55-78 years old while they were working on a computer. Doctors and psychiatrists analyzed the results and came to the conclusion that the use of technology can actually benefit the aging brain. At least, if at retirement age you often work on a computer, then it’s more likely that the brain’s possibilities will remain for a longer period.

During the experiments, people were planted right inside the magnetic resonance scanner and forced to work with search engines on the Internet for a long time. The study was conducted in two groups: the first is from advanced users, and the second is from people poorly versed in technology. So, the first group demonstrated twice the level of neuron activation. Unusually high activity was manifested in areas of the brain that are responsible for decision making and logic (and not only in the visual cortex, as is the case when reading books). In people with low levels of computer literacy, such brain activity was not observed.