Virtual Reality in the Neurosciences: Current Practice and Future Directions

Scott, Harry; Griffin, Connor; Coggins, William S.; Elberson, Brooke; Abd-Eldayem, Mohamed M.; Virmani, Tuhin; Larson-Prior, Linda J.; Petersen, Erika

doi:10.3389/fsurg.2021.807195

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 166 publications

(141 reference statements)

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“…Currently, MR platforms are utilized in multiple industries, such as recreational gaming, film, military, and so forth [7]. Its main advantage is the technological ability to generate detailed, 3D interactive images that can be used to provide quantitative data via a simulator device [23]. In recent years, the use of MR in neurosurgery and the neurosciences has been steadily growing [23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mixed Reality for Pediatric Brain Tumors: A Pilot Study from a Singapore Children’s Hospital

Liang,

Teo,

Coyuco

et al. 2023

Surgeries

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Mixed reality (MR) platforms for neurosurgical education, training, and clinical use have gained popularity in recent years. However, their use in pediatric neurosurgery is comparatively unexplored. We designed a study to explore the use of an MR-based application for pediatric brain tumors. The primary aim is to determine if the use of MR provides the neurosurgical team with a better understanding of the visuospatial anatomy of neoplasms in pediatric craniums and to guide operative planning. Secondary aims include exploring its use as an educational tool for junior doctors and medical students. Methods: Three-dimensional anatomical models of selected pediatric brain tumors are created and uploaded to an MR application. The processed data is transferred into designated MR head-mounted devices. At the end of the trial, users are required to fill in an evaluation form. Results: A total of 30 participants took part in this study. Based on the collated feedback data, all of them agreed that the MR platform was useful as a tool in different aspects of understanding the selected pediatric brain tumors. Conclusions: This study demonstrates a proof of concept of the feasibility of MR platforms for a better understanding of pediatric brain tumors. Further development is needed to refine the current setup to be more versatile.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mixed Reality for Pediatric Brain Tumors: A Pilot Study from a Singapore Children’s Hospital

Liang,

Teo,

Coyuco

et al. 2023

Surgeries

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“…Furthermore, AR is increasingly used in clinical neurosurgical practice, performing with high spatial and temporal resolution and being applied and integrated into presurgical planning and intrasurgical execution, calling for further expansion in the context of the education of residents and medical students. However, the usefulness of AR in undergraduate medical students' neuroanatomical education has not been assessed on a large scale, highlighting the signi cance of our work (Chinnock, 1994;De Canaviri et al, 2023;Karmonik et al, 2018;Olofsson et al, 1998;Ota et al, 1995;Scott et al, 2021;Webb et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

First German experience using augmented reality for neuroanatomy education in undergraduate medical students: a feasibility and questionnaire-based study

Zhao,

Bozhkov,

Chen

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Introduction: To date, neuroanatomy education courses are still based on two-dimensional (2D) illustrations combined with cadaver dissections. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of neuroanatomy, we offered mixed reality experience using a head-mounted device(HMD) for medical students during their neuroanatomy course. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using mixed reality in neuroanatomy education and the acceptance and effectiveness of the mixed reality anatomy seminar for medical students. Methods: A virtual model including major neuroanatomical structures was generated from a MRI dataset using computer software. Major structureswere displayed and annotated in different combinations and scenes using an HMD. Along with the 3D virtual model, the original MRI was presented in a virtual form inside the HMD. Conventional 2D anatomical atlaseswere also used during the seminar. 30 medical students in their second year at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg were recruited for this study via open invitation during neuroanatomy lectures. Participants were asked to wear the HMDs and to take a 2-hour neurosurgery-oriented mixed reality seminar given by a neurosurgical teacher in small groups (3 per group). A questionnaire comprising five levels of options was designed and used to evaluate the acceptance / effectiveness of this seminar. Results: The mixed reality enviroment, comprising virtual 3D models of major brain structures, virtual MRI, and conventional 2D anatomical graphs, was uncomplicated and feasible for neuroanatomy education of the medical students. According to our survey, all participants (30/30) strongly agreed that the 3D visualization of the spatial relationships between anatomical structures was easy to use as a meaningful supplement. Twenty-one of the participants strongly agreed and nine quite agreed that they had more interest in neuroanatomy. Eighty-seven percentof the participants were strongly satisfied with the mixed reality seminar versus conventional neuroanatomy seminars, and the other 13% were quite satisfied with the mixed reality approach. Most of the participants (20/30) strongly agreed that mixed reality helped them memorize the anatomical structures, and 9/30 participants quite agreed. Seventy-four percentof the participants agreed that immersive mixed reality is better than 3D models presented in 2D devices. Over half of the participants could wear the HMD for over 60 minutes (65%) without any ophthalmic discomfort, and the HMD was reported to be well tolerable (57%). Nearly three-fourthsof the participants found that handling the device was extremely simple, and the other part indicated that it was quite simple. No health issues or discomfort on the forehead occurred. As a consequence, the seminar has been officially classified as an elective neuroanatomy course for second-year medical students. Conclusions: Using mixed reality with HMDs to conduct neuroanatomy education to supplement conventional lectures and cadaver dissection is feasible. The mixed-reality seminar described in our study was quite acceptable for medical students and promoted increased interest in neurosurgery. Most importantly, mixed reality could help medical students more efficiently understand and memorize the major structures and their dimensional relationships in neuroanatomy.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Neurosurgery has always been at the forefront of incorporating technological advances to better surgical management, with the incorporation of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in recent years [5,59,82]. 3-D AR and VR assist with complex neurosurgical procedures in training neurosurgeons, planning surgeries, and helping with patient recovery following the surgery, respectively through projection of virtual content in the real world and generating a 3-D environment where users can fully immerse themselves [5,82]. These two modalities have been used in multiple neurosurgical sub-specialties and have aided preoperative training and planning, surgical decision-making, intraoperative workflow, risk minimisation, postoperative clinical assessments, and rehabilitation [12, 17, 20, 30, 39-41, 45, 50, 57, 60, 63, 65, 66, 79, 89].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Augmented and virtual reality usage in awake craniotomy: a systematic review

et al. 2022

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Augmented and virtual reality (AR, VR) are becoming promising tools in neurosurgery. AR and VR can reduce challenges associated with conventional approaches via the simulation and mimicry of specific environments of choice for surgeons. Awake craniotomy (AC) enables the resection of lesions from eloquent brain areas while monitoring higher cortical and subcortical functions. Evidence suggests that both surgeons and patients benefit from the various applications of AR and VR in AC. This paper investigates the application of AR and VR in AC and assesses its prospective utility in neurosurgery. A systematic review of the literature was performed using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Our search results yielded 220 articles. A total of six articles consisting of 118 patients have been included in this review. VR was used in four papers, and the other two used AR. Tumour was the most common pathology in 108 patients, followed by vascular lesions in eight patients. VR was used for intraoperative mapping of language, vision, and social cognition, while AR was incorporated in preoperative training of white matter dissection and intraoperative visualisation and navigation. Overall, patients and surgeons were satisfied with the applications of AR and VR in their cases. AR and VR can be safely incorporated during AC to supplement, augment, or even replace conventional approaches in neurosurgery. Future investigations are required to assess the feasibility of AR and VR in various phases of AC.

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Virtual Reality in the Neurosciences: Current Practice and Future Directions

Cited by 19 publications

References 166 publications

Mixed Reality for Pediatric Brain Tumors: A Pilot Study from a Singapore Children’s Hospital

Mixed Reality for Pediatric Brain Tumors: A Pilot Study from a Singapore Children’s Hospital

First German experience using augmented reality for neuroanatomy education in undergraduate medical students: a feasibility and questionnaire-based study

Augmented and virtual reality usage in awake craniotomy: a systematic review

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