%0 Journal Article
%@ 1438-8871
%I JMIR Publications
%V 19
%N 12
%P e371
%T Getting to the Root of Fine Motor Skill Performance in Dentistry: Brain Activity During Dental Tasks in a Virtual Reality Haptic Simulation
%A Perry,Suzanne
%A Bridges,Susan M
%A Zhu,Frank
%A Leung,W Keung
%A Burrow,Michael F
%A Poolton,Jamie
%A Masters,Rich SW
%+ Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong SAR,, China, 86 63171105, subygee@yahoo.co.uk
%K simulation
%K fNIRS
%K functional near-infrared spectroscopy
%K spectroscopy, near-infrared
%K virtual reality
%K psychomotor skills training
%K dentistry
%K education, medical
%D 2017
%7 12.12.2017
%9 Original Paper
%J J Med Internet Res
%G English
%X Background: There is little evidence considering the relationship between movement-specific reinvestment (a dimension of personality which refers to the propensity for individuals to consciously monitor and control their movements) and working memory during motor skill performance. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measuring oxyhemoglobin demands in the frontal cortex during performance of virtual reality (VR) psychomotor tasks can be used to examine this research gap. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the potential relationship between the propensity to reinvest and blood flow to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices of the brain. A secondary aim was to determine the propensity to reinvest and performance during 2 dental tasks carried out using haptic VR simulators. Methods: We used fNIRS to assess oxygen demands in 24 undergraduate dental students during 2 dental tasks (clinical, nonclinical) on a VR haptic simulator. We used the Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale questionnaire to assess the students’ propensity to reinvest. Results: Students with a high propensity for movement-specific reinvestment displayed significantly greater oxyhemoglobin demands in an area associated with working memory during the nonclinical task (Spearman correlation, rs=.49, P=.03). Conclusions: This small-scale study suggests that neurophysiological differences are evident between high and low reinvesters during a dental VR task in terms of oxyhemoglobin demands in an area associated with working memory. 
%M 29233801
%R 10.2196/jmir.8046
%U http://www.jmir.org/2017/12/e371/
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.8046
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29233801