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Does surfing the web help your brain?

I ran across this online article discussing whether surfing the web helps aging brains.
While reading stimulated the same areas of the brain in both groups, those who regularly searched the Internet showed twice the increase in brain activity when performing the new Internet search than their counterparts, especially in the areas of the brain that control decision making and complex reasoning.

“The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults,” says principal investigator Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and director of the campus’ Memory and Aging Research Center.

“Our most striking finding was that Internet searching appears to engage a greater extent of neural circuitry that is not activated during reading -- but only in those with prior Internet experience.”
I thought these results were quite intriguing, especially to see evidence that surfing does engage brain activity.

One question I have is this: what meaning does brain activation have, as seen in MRI studies? Always more needs to be done but I believe that any new activity could be valuable and enriching, especially if done in moderation.
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