A new study by the Memory and Aging Research Center at the University of California / Los Angeles (UCLA) shows that Internet search activities can exercise the brain and stimulate neural circuitry.

The nine-month study involved people aged 55 to 76 of similar educational levels who were neurologically normal — that is, were not suffering from brain damage or extraordinary neurological conditions such as Alzheimer Disease.

Test subjects appeared to have richer sensory experiences and longer attention spans when performing search-related activities than when they were simply reading text from Web sites on their screens, based on MRI scans of their brains.

The researchers stress that there’s not enough research, yet, for them to say conclusively that Internet search activity can help ward off dementia associated with aging, but one assumes it can’t hurt!