Johns Hopkins University’s Innovative Approach to Enhancing Surgical Skills: A Study on Electric Currents and Skill Transfer

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have discovered that applying mild electric stimulation to the cerebellum significantly improves the ability to apply skills learned in virtual reality to real-life scenarios, particularly in robotic surgery. This groundbreaking technique showed notable improvements in the manual skills of participants who had no prior experience in surgery or robotics. This advancement could transform training practices across various high-technology fields, including the medical and robotics sectors. Source: SciTechPost.com

The study revealed that individuals who underwent gentle electrical stimulation to the cerebellum region of the brain were more adept at transferring skills from a virtual reality environment to actual robotic surgery tasks. This method proved effective for those with no previous background in surgical or robotic procedures.

Jeremy D. Brown, a roboticist at Johns Hopkins University and the study’s lead author, highlighted the challenges in translating virtual reality training to real-world applications. This research, he notes, provides vital insights into how brain stimulation, specifically of the cerebellum, can enhance skill acquisition and application in operating rooms, which are increasingly dependent on digital simulation for training.

Brown, holding the John C. Malone Associate Professorship in Mechanical Engineering, emphasized the difficulty in achieving precise statistical measurements. However, the study concluded that participants who received cerebellar stimulation were more proficient in applying skills learned in virtual environments to actual scenarios.

The findings were published in Nature Scientific Reports on December 20.

In the study, participants performed a task involving driving a surgical needle through three small openings, initially in a virtual simulation and subsequently in a real-life setting using the da Vinci Research Kit, an open-source robot. The tasks mimicked actions necessary for surgeries involving abdominal organs.

Participants underwent non-invasive brain stimulation through electrodes placed on their scalps, targeting the cerebellum. While half of the group received continuous stimulation throughout the test, the other half only received brief initial stimulation.

Those who experienced ongoing electrical stimulation demonstrated significant improvement in manual dexterity, despite lacking prior experience in surgery or robotics.

Guido Caccianiga, a former Johns Hopkins roboticist now with the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the lead designer of the experiments, noted that those without stimulation faced greater challenges in applying skills from virtual to real scenarios, especially in complex tasks requiring quick movements.

The research extends existing knowledge of noninvasive brain stimulation, typically used in motor learning for rehabilitation therapy. According to co-author Gabriela Cantarero, a former assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, this study explores the potential of brain stimulation in aiding surgeons and others in acquiring real-world skills.

During the study, participants engaged in virtual reality simulations of needle-driving exercises while undergoing brain stimulation, as demonstrated in an image credited to Guido Caccianiga of Johns Hopkins University.

Robotic surgery systems, which enhance human skills and allow for greater precision and control, stand to benefit from this type of brain stimulation in training. The technique also has implications for skill learning in other industries reliant on virtual reality training.

Caccianiga speculated on the broader applications of this method, suggesting that it could expedite the learning process for various skills, thereby saving time and resources in training professionals in surgery, engineering, and other fields that frequently use these technologies.

The study, titled “Anodal cerebellar t-DCS impacts skill learning and transfer on a robotic surgery training task,” was co-authored by Ronan A. Mooney of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Pablo A. Celnik of the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and published with the DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47404-1.

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More about Brain Stimulation Surgery Training

• Johns Hopkins University
• Noninvasive Brain Stimulation
• da Vinci Research Kit
• Virtual Reality in Medicine
• Scientific Reports Journal
• Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
• Shirley Ryan AbilityLab