Utilizing Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Enhance Laparoscopic Technical Skills Training

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to test the influences of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the acquisition of laparoscopic surgical skills. For this purpose, the investigator will compare variants of tDCS in the first of 2 experiments. The second arm of the trial will investigate gaze training in a similar study design. These questions will be evaluated using the validated Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) module 1, with the overall goal of developing a surgical training curriculum that achieves expert level skill in an expedited timeframe. This research provides a novel approach to general surgery training that has the potential to reduce the amount of time and repetitions required to achieve expert laparoscopic skills.

Detailed Description
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Developing expert performance requires assessment of the thought processes underlying performance and continued refinement of skills in order to obtain automaticity and intuition. Therefore, developing expert surgical skill is a process likely to take longer than the length of residency, thereby diminishing the quality of care delivered to patients. The proposed study will implement novel neuroscience techniques of transcranial direct current stimulation to determine if it has the capacity to accelerate technical surgical skill learning in order to achieve competency and expertise in an earlier timeframe. tDCS is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that delivers constant, low current stimulation via electrodes placed on the scalp to modify cortical excitability in an area of interest. When applied to the motor cortex, promising data indicates that tDCS-induced changes lead to expedited recovery in stroke patients as well as enhanced learning in healthy individuals. This technique has never been applied in the training of surgical residents making this project an innovative approach to enhance skill development. Experiment 1: Determine if tDCS can accelerate the learning of laparoscopic skills. In this experiment the investigators will compare behavioral learning curves from FLS modules 1 and 5 in three cohorts who undergo either active tDCS to the bilateral motor cortex (bilateral configuration), active tDCS to the supplementary motor cortex (SMA configuration), or sham tDCS (half in each configuration). This will be tested in groups of 20 participants who train for 40-minutes in each of 6 sessions that occur within 3 weeks. The investigators hypothesize that both active bilateral and SMA tDCS will lead to faster skill acquisition as measured by trials required to gain proficient completion scores (calculated as time plus errors), relative to sham. The investigators hypothesize that both bilateral and vertex tDCS will lead to faster skill acquisition, with bilateral greater than vertex as measured by trials required to gain proficient module completion scores, relative to the group of participants who practice without active tDCS.

Official Title
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Utilizing Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Enhance Laparoscopic Technical Skills Training

Conditions
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Healthy Volunteers

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Age >18 years, healthy male and female Negative urine pregnancy test for female participants Willing and able to provide informed consent Able to follow study procedures Exclusion Criteria: Indwelling metallic implants Neurological or psychiatric medical history Drug or alcohol abuse Current or prior brain tumor Current or prior seizures Neuroactive medications Current pregnancy Damage, rash, or skin lesion in area of electrode placement

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Subjects are randomized into SMA or bilateral M1 tDCS configurations. They are further randomized into active or sham tDCS.
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Bilateral M1, active tDCS<br>Participants will complete 6 sessions of the FLS peg transfer task over a 7-day time span. Participants randomized to this cohort had tdcs applied over the bilateral M1 areas of the brain by measurement of 20% length of periauricular distance left and right of the vertex. The anode was placed on the left side and the cathode was placed on the right side. | Device: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)<br>* tDCS will apply a low, direct current for the duration of the study session while the subject is training the specific laparoscopic tasks.<br>* Other names: Soterix;|
| Experimental: SMA, active tDCS<br>Participants will complete 6 sessions of the FLS peg transfer task over a 7-day time span. Participants randomized to this cohort had tdcs applied over the supplementary motor area. The cathode was placed 10% of nasion-inion distance above the nasion and 15% of nasion-inion distance anterior to the vertex. | Device: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)<br>* tDCS will apply a low, direct current for the duration of the study session while the subject is training the specific laparoscopic tasks.<br>* Other names: Soterix;|
| Sham Comparator: sham tDCS<br>Participants will complete 6 sessions of the FLS peg transfer task over a 7-day time span. Participants in this group were either randomized into either Bilateral or SMA configurations using the same measurements, but did not receive active stimulation. Half of these subjects will be placed in the SMA configuration and the other half in the bilateral M1 electrode configuration. | Device: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)<br>* tDCS will apply a low, direct current for the duration of the study session while the subject is training the specific laparoscopic tasks.<br>* Other names: Soterix;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Time to Completion | Completion time for each repetition of Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) task 1 in post-test (1 single repetition of the task that was timed after all training was completed) | 7 days | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of Tasks Completed | The number of completed tasks will be calculated during retrospective review of recorded video through study completion. The six training sessions for data collection will be completed within a 7-day span. | 7 days | 
| Number of Errors | The number of errors (as defined by FLS) during completion of tasks will be recorded and transitioned into a time addition. This will be collected for every repetition performed during the 6 separate training sessions within a 7-day period. These errors will be defined and retrospective review of recorded video through study completion. | 7 days |