Scans of the brains of the participants who were using the Internet for the first time, showed an increase in activity in the areas of the bran that control short-term memory and decision-making.

Psychiatrists and neuroscientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), looked at the change in brain activity of adults between the ages of 55 and 78, who were regular Internet users and those who had little experience online.

Participants were scanned with a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which records changes in brain activity. In the first scan, the brains of the subjects who were inexperienced with the Internet showed activity in the areas linked to language, reading, memory and visual abilities.

They then asked the participants to return home and use the Internet for one hour per day, using search engines to research and answer questions.

When scanned a second time, the middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus of the inexperienced Internet users lit up. These parts are associated with working (short-term) memory and decision-making and were already shown to be working in the experienced users.

Senior research associate Teena D Moody, one of the authors of the study, said, "The results suggest that searching online may be a simple form of brain exercise that might be employed to enhance cognition in older adults."

The summary of the study was that after a short amount of time, these areas in inexperienced Internet users seemed to catch up to those with more experience.

Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour and another of the trial's authors, told the Daily Telegraph: "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."

The trial only used 24 test subjects, so more research will need to be undertaken to confirm the results.

The effects of the Internet along with other technologys — text messaging, video games and computer games — on the developing brain have yet to be fully researched, and many consumer and parenting groups believe this is an area that needs to be looked into further.

Your say: How much time do you spend on the Internet per day? Which areas of science would you like to see researched further? Do you find your mind is more alert while using the Internet?