The study was carried out by scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and published in the latest edition of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

The UCLA scientists found that searching the web triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning and may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function.

"The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults," said Dr. Gary Small, the principal investigator of the study.

"Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function," said Small, a professor at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

The UCLA researchers said they tested 24 neurologically normal research volunteers between the ages of 55 and 76, half with experience searching the Internet and half with no experience.

The study participants performed Web searches and book-reading tasks while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, which record brain-circuitry changes.

They all showed significant brain activity during book reading and web searching, but the Internet-savvy group registered a twofold increase in brain activation during web use when compared with those with little Internet experience.

They said the web-savvy group also registered greater activity in the frontal, temporal and cingulate areas of the brain, which control decision-making and complex reasoning.