From Fox News, H/T David L. on Facebook, a new study suggests that using the Internet stimulates the brain and makes us smarter. “The results suggest Internet training can stimulate neural activation patterns and could potentially enhance brain function and cognition in older adults..”

If use of the Internet makes us smarter, then readers of this blog should represent the upper echelon of the intelligentsia!

As the brain ages, a number of structural and functional changes occur, including atrophy, or decay, reductions in cell activity and increases in complex things like deposits of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which can impact cognitive function.

Research has shown that mental stimulation similar to the stimulation that occurs in individuals who frequently use the Internet may affect the efficiency of cognitive processing and alter the way the brain encodes new information.

“We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function,” Dr. Gary Small, study author and professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, said in a statement.

I am reminded of one of my favorite Homer Simpson clips.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhrfhjLd9e4]