Academic Journal
Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on psychomotor skill acquisition during laparoscopic training: a randomized controlled trial.
| Τίτλος: | Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on psychomotor skill acquisition during laparoscopic training: a randomized controlled trial. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Lepka P; Department of Oncological Gynecology, Lower Silesian Oncology, Pulmonology and Hematology Center, Wroclaw, Poland. piotr.lepka@umw.edu.pl.; Clinical Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland. piotr.lepka@umw.edu.pl., Szcześniak D; Division of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Diseases, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland., Sikora Z; Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland., Matkowski R; Department of Oncological Gynecology, Lower Silesian Oncology, Pulmonology and Hematology Center, Wroclaw, Poland.; Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland. |
| Πηγή: | Surgical endoscopy [Surg Endosc] 2026 Oct; Vol. 40 (10), pp. 8412-8420. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 13. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: Germany NLM ID: 8806653 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1432-2218 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09302794 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Surg Endosc Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: 1992- : New York : Springer Original Publication: [Berlin] : Springer International, c1987- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Laparoscopy*/education , Psychomotor Performance*/physiology , Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation*/methods , Simulation Training*/methods , Clinical Competence*, Humans ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Male ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Motor Skills |
| Περίληψη: | Background: Acquisition of laparoscopic psychomotor skills is essential for safe minimally invasive surgery but is associated with a steep learning curve. Simulation-based training improves proficiency; however, additional strategies to accelerate skill acquisition are sought. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to facilitate motor learning, but its effect on laparoscopic training remains uncertain. Methods: In this prospective, sham-controlled trial, 33 medical students without prior laparoscopic experience were allocated to active tDCS (n = 16) or sham stimulation (n = 17) during laparoscopic simulation training. Stimulation was delivered using the Halo Sport system (1.4 mA, 20 min) over bilateral primary motor cortices. Baseline psychomotor abilities were assessed using the Vienna Test System (Motor Performance Series, 2HAND, and 3D spatial ability tests). Laparoscopic skills were evaluated using the Laparoscopic Skills Testing and Training (LASTT) model, including camera navigation (CN), hand-eye coordination (HE), and bimanual coordination (Bi), on days 1, 3, 5, and 7. Group differences in final performance (day 7) were analyzed using linear models and ANCOVA, adjusting for baseline performance and prespecified covariates. Results: Both groups demonstrated significant improvement across all laparoscopic tasks over time (all p < 0.001). Active tDCS was independently associated with higher final bimanual coordination performance compared with sham stimulation (adjusted ANCOVA: F (1,13) = 14.92, p = 0.002). No independent effect of tDCS was observed for camera navigation (p = 0.581) or hand-eye coordination (p = 0.439). Baseline visuospatial ability (3D test) was an independent predictor of final performance in camera navigation and hand-eye coordination (both p < 0.01). Positive correlations were found between 3D scores and CN (r = 0.397) and HE (r = 0.390), as well as between 2HAND and HE (r = 0.341). Conclusions: Bihemispheric tDCS applied during laparoscopic simulation selectively enhanced acquisition of bimanual coordination, while performance in camera navigation and hand-eye coordination was primarily determined by baseline visuospatial ability. These findings support a task-specific role for neuromodulation as an adjunct to simulation-based laparoscopic training and highlight the importance of visuospatial profiling for personalized training strategies. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Disclosures: Piotr Lepka, Dorota Szcześniak, Zofia Sikora, Rafał Matkowski have no conflicts of interest or financial ties to disclose. Ethical approval: The study protocol was approved by the Bioethics Committee at Wroclaw Medical University (approval No. KB-423/2019). All procedures were conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and institutional guidelines. Consent to participate: All participants provided written informed consent prior to enrollment and study procedures. Consent for publication: No individually identifiable data (including images) are included in this manuscript. Consent for publication of anonymized aggregate data was obtained at enrollment. |
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| Grant Information: | SUBZ.C280.26.041 Uniwersytet Medyczny im. Piastów Slaskich we Wroclawiu |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Bimanual coordination; Laparoscopy training; Psychomotor skills; Randomized controlled trial; Transcranial direct current stimulation; Visual–spatial ability |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260713 Date Completed: 20261002 Latest Revision: 20261008 |
| Update Code: | 20261008 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13633295 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00464-026-12992-2 |
| PMID: | 42443692 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1432-2218 |
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| DOI: | 10.1007/s00464-026-12992-2 |