Optimizing microsurgical skills with EEG neurofeedback

Abstract

Background: By enabling individuals to self-regulate their brainwave activity in the field of optimal performance in healthy individuals, neurofeedback has been found to improve cognitive and artistic performance. Here we assessed whether two distinct EEG neurofeedback protocols could develop surgical skill, given the important role this skill plays in medicine.

Sensorimotor Rhythm Neurofeedback Enhances Golf Putting Performance

“…No significant change in putting performance was observed in the control group. Previous studies have demonstrated that augmenting SMR by NFT improved visual motor performance (Ros et al, 2009) and increased self-rating scores of subjective flow state in dancers (Gruzelier et al, 2010). Furthermore, augmenting SMR by NFT was related to an improved attention-related mental state (Vernon et al, 2003) and memory performance (Hoedlmoser et al, 2008).…”

“…The drop in sensorimotor activity, as reflected by increased SMR power, may indicate a greater adaptive task-related attention allocation that facilitates the execution of sport performance (Gruzelier et al, 2010). Increasing SMR power through NFT is also related to more efficient and modulated visuomotor performance (Gruzelier et al, 2010;Ros et al, 2009). These results suggest that augmenting SMR power led to an improved adjustment of somatosensory and sensorimotor pathways (Kober et al, 2014), which resulted in increased task-related attention toward specific tasks (Egner & Gruzelier, 2001).…”

“…Similarly, Ros et al (2009) reported that a shorter operation time and reduced trait anxiety score were observed in surgeons following augmented SMR NFT, suggesting that augmented SMR enhanced the learning of a complex medical specialty by developing sustained attention and a relaxed attentional focus as well as increasing working memory (Vernon et al, 2003). Furthermore, Doppelmayr and Weber (Doppelmayr & Weber, 2011) revealed that augmented SMR NFT not only resulted in a significant SMR amplitude increase accompanied by a significant increase in reward threshold, but also facilitated the performance of spatialrotation, simple, and choice-reaction time tasks.…”

“…Augmented SMR power resulting from neurofeedback training (NFT) has been identified as a relaxed focus state without somatosensory intervention (Gruzelier, Foks, Steffert, Chen, & Ros, 2014). Similarly, a reduced trait anxiety score and task-processing time during microsurgery were observed after augmented SMR NFT (Ros et al, 2009). Moreover, a facilitative sense of control, confidence, and feeling at-one with a role was demonstrated after augmented SMR NFT before acting performance (Gruzelier, Inoue, Smart, Steed, & Steffert, 2010).…”

Bio/neurofeedback

“…A modo de resumen, por no disponer de espacio en este lugar para examinar detenidamente los resultados de las investigaciones existentes sobre los mismos, presentamos a continuación en la tabla 1 un cuadro resumen de los distintos equipos técnicos de registros fisiológicos existentes y las principales respuestas fisiológicas que pueden ser registradas o medidas a través de los mismos (Arns, Ridder, Strehl, Bretelet y Coenen, 2009;Budzynski, Budzynski, Evans y Abarbanal, 2005;Coben y Evans, 2011;Kropotov, 2009;Larsen, 2012;Ros et al, 2009;Singer, 2004).…”