Expertise and Task Pressure in fNIRS-based brain Connectomes

Acquisition of bimanual motor skills, critical in several applications ranging from robotic teleoperations to surgery, is associated with a protracted learning curve. Brain connectivity based on functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) data has shown promising results in distinguishing experts from novice surgeons. However, it is less well understood how expertise-related disparity in brain connectivity is modulated by dynamic temporal demands experienced during a surgical task. In this study, we use fNIRS to examine the interplay between frontal and motor brain regions in a cohort of surgical residents of varying expertise performing a laparoscopic surgical task under temporal demand. The results demonstrate that prefrontal-motor connectivity in senior residents is more resilient to time pressure. Furthermore, certain global characteristics of brain connectomes, such as the small-world index, may be used to detect the presence of an underlying stressor.