Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Google your way to a younger brain

UCLA researchers compared people 55 to 76 who surfed the Internet and those who didn't. MRI scans showed more brain activity in those who routinely do web searches compared to novice web surfers. However, even novices boosted their brain activity after spending an hour a day for 5 days surfing. Web surfing stimulates the brain, particularly the frontal lobe, which is involved in complex decision-making.

In iBrain, Dr. Gary Small, one of America's leading neuroscientists and experts on brain function and behavior, explores how technology's unstoppable march forward has altered the way young minds develop, function, and interpret information. iBrain reveals a new evolution catalyzed by technological advancement and its future implications: Where do you fit in on the evolutionary chain? What are the professional, social, and political impacts of this new brain evolution? How must you adapt and at what price?

To compete and thrive in the age of brain evolution, and to avoid these potential drawbacks, we must adapt, and iBrain—with its Technology Toolkit—equips all of us with the tools and strategies needed to close the brain gap.