Internet use can slow cognitive decline in seniors

Browsing the Web and using email can improve the memories of seniors, according to a recent study, the results of which were published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Medical Sciences.

A team of researchers led by Andre Junqueira Xavier at the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, found that digital literacy (DL) was a major factor in halting cognitive decline (CD) in older adults.

The findings of this study were based on a longitudinal study on aging which followed for eight years 6,442 participants between the ages of 50 and 89 in the UK.

What Xavier and his colleagues discovered was that digital literacy improved delayed recall and slowed cognitive decline.

In addition, the researchers noted: "In line with our results, another study within the same population showed DL can also decrease the incidence of instrumental activities of daily living impairment, which often coincides with CD, as it is part of the dementia process itself."