Neural correlates of transcranial direct-current stimulation enhanced surgical skill learning

Background: Recent changes in surgical training environments have impacted the ability of trainees to learn complex surgical skills. To provide the 300 million surgical procedures required to address the global burden of disease, there is pressing need to define methods of enhancing surgical training. Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) alters cortical excitability and can augment motor skill learning. Recently, we demonstrated that tDCS may enhance surgical skill learning but mechanisms are poorly defined. Here, we examined how tDCS changes electrical activity in the brain during surgical skill learning.