[1]Science

  [2]https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-brain-keyboard.html

  As digital devices progressively replace pen and paper, taking notes by
  hand is becoming increasingly uncommon in schools and universities.
  Using a keyboard is recommended because it's often faster than writing
  by hand. However, the latter has been found to improve spelling
  accuracy and memory recall.

  To find out if the process of forming letters by hand resulted in
  greater brain connectivity, researchers in Norway now investigated the
  underlying neural networks involved in both modes of writing.

  "We show that when writing by hand, brain connectivity patterns are far
  more elaborate than when typewriting on a keyboard," said Prof Audrey
  van der Meer, a brain researcher at the Norwegian University of Science
  and Technology and co-author of the study published in Frontiers in
  Psychology.

  "Such widespread brain connectivity is known to be crucial for memory
  formation and for encoding new information and, therefore, is
  beneficial for learning."

  The researchers collected EEG data from 36 university students who were
  repeatedly prompted to either write or type a word that appeared on a
  screen. When writing, they used a digital pen to write in cursive
  directly on a touchscreen. When typing they used a single finger to
  press keys on a keyboard.

  High-density EEGs, which measure electrical activity in the brain using
  256 small sensors sewn in a net and placed over the head, were recorded
  for five seconds for every prompt.

  Connectivity of different brain regions increased when participants
  wrote by hand, but not when they typed. "Our findings suggest that
  visual and movement information obtained through precisely controlled
  hand movements when using a pen contribute extensively to the brain's
  connectivity patterns that promote learning," van der Meer said.

  Journal Reference:
  F. R. (Ruud) Van der Weel and Audrey L. H. Van der Meer, Handwriting
  but not Typewriting Leads to Widespread Brain Connectivity: A
  High-Density EEG Study with Implications for the Classroom, Frontiers
  in Psychology (2024). DOI: [3]10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945
    __________________________________________________________________

  [4]Original Submission

References

  1. https://soylentnews.org/search.pl?tid=14
  2. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-brain-keyboard.html
  3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945
  4. https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=61957