Potential mediators of the relationship between internet usage and cognition

Effect of Internet Use on Cognitive Function of Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults in China: Evidence from China Family Panel Studies

“…China faces extraordinary opportunities and challenges due to population aging and Internet development. This national survey indicated that middle-aged and older Internet users had higher cognitive abilities than non-users, which was consistent with international research [ 36 ]. The stability of the results was verified using the average Internet usage level among middle-aged and elderly people in the community as the instrumental variable.…”

“…From the perspective of brain evolution, the individual's need for emotion directly or indirectly contributes to generating a particular neuronal network and improves cognition [39]. Additionally, broad social networks in later life may aid cognitive reserve creation [36] and minimize dementia risk [40,41]. Social networks can act as cognitive stimulation for elderly people.…”

Cognitive decline in older adults: applying multiple perspectives to develop novel prevention strategies

“…This issue of International Psychogeriatrics includes several articles that focus on cognitive decline, particularly Alzheimer's and other dementias, from three different but potentially impactful perspectives: examination of internet use as a prevention strategy (Berner et al, 2019); artificial intelligence as a mechanism to identify individuallevel risk of Alzheimer's disease conversion (Grassi et al, 2018a); and lastly, based on a mouse model, re-invigoration of IGF-2 as a potential preventative agent (Xia et al, 2019). Each of these papers is accompanied by thoughtful commentaries by Moxley and Czaja (2019), Graham andDepp (2019), andO'Hara andHallmayer (2019), respectively.…”

“…The brain remains plastic in later life, and targeted cognitive engagement can help improve cognitive function and associated outcomes even among older adults with significant mental health issues (e.g., Thomas et al, 2018). In Moxley and Czaja's (2019) commentary, the authors principally argue for social connectivity as the primary mediator of change, specifically mentioning that social connectivity via the internet may decrease loneliness, increase sense of purpose, and provide more accessible methods of connecting to others. Social isolation and loneliness are common among older adults, and are associated with worse cognitive functioning (Boss et al, 2015).…”

“…However, given the fast pace of technological advances, new technology will always offer opportunities for cognitive challenges and new social connections. As Moxley and Czaja (2019) suggest, future studies examining differences in cognitive decline based on how older adults use the internet will help delineate how personalized internet use can contribute to better cognition with aging.…”