Medical students learn over distance using virtual reality simulation.

Introduction: This article presents the results of a demonstration project that was designed with the goal to determine the feasibility and acceptability of medical students in using distance technology and virtual reality (VR) simulation within a problem-based learning (PBL).

Methods: This pilot project involved students from the Universities of New Mexico and Hawaii and compared (1) control groups consisting of medical students in a tutor-guided PBL session using a text-based case, (2) distance groups using the same text-based case but interacting over distance from multiple sites, (3) groups using a VR simulation scenario integrated into the case without interaction over distance, and (4) combination groups interacting over distance from multiple sites with integration of a VR simulation scenario.

Results: The study results suggest that it is possible to successfully conduct a PBL tutorial with medical students from two institutions with the integration VR and distributed distance interaction in combination or independently.

Chronic ethanol exposure increases the association of hippocampal mu-opioid receptors with G-protein receptor kinase 2.

Opioid receptors (ORs) have been shown to have a significant role in the central nervous system (CNS) effects of chronic ethanol consumption. The OR antagonist, naltrexone, is used clinically to reduce continued intake. We previously observed that chronic ethanol consumption, by adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, induced a reduction in functional coupling of mu- and delta-ORs to G-proteins in rat CNS regions, including the hippocampus.

Comparative usability studies of full vs. partial immersive virtual reality simulation for medical education and training.

Virtual reality (VR) simulation provides a means of making experiential learning reproducible and reusable. This study was designed to determine the efficiency and satisfaction components of usability. Previously, it was found that first year medical students using a VR simulation for medical education demonstrated effectiveness in learning as measured by knowledge structure improvements both with and without a head mounted display (HMD) but students using a HMD showed statistically greater improvement in knowledge structures compared to those not using a HMD.

The effect of degree of immersion upon learning performance in virtual reality simulations for medical education.

Simulations are being used in education and training to enhance understanding, improve performance, and assess competence. However, it is important to measure the performance of these simulations as learning and training tools. This study examined and compared knowledge acquisition using a knowledge structure design.

Reification of abstract concepts to improve comprehension using interactive virtual environments and a knowledge-based design: a renal physiology model.

Several abstract concepts in medical education are difficult to teach and comprehend. In order to address this challenge, we have been applying the approach of reification of abstract concepts using interactive virtual environments and a knowledge-based design. Reification is the process of making abstract concepts and events, beyond the realm of direct human experience, concrete and accessible to teachers and learners.

Virtual reality training improves students' knowledge structures of medical concepts.

Virtual environments can provide training that is difficult to achieve under normal circumstances. Medical students can work on high-risk cases in a realistic, time-critical environment, where students practice skills in a cognitively demanding and emotionally compelling situation. Research from cognitive science has shown that as students acquire domain expertise, their semantic organization of core domain concepts become more similar to those of an expert's.

Growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) and synaptophysin alterations in the dentate gyrus of patients with schizophrenia.

Growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) expression is critical for the proper establishment of neural circuitry, a process thought to be disrupted in schizophrenia. Previous work from our laboratory demonstrated decreased GAP-43 levels in post-mortem tissue from the entire hippocampal formation of affected individuals. In the present study, we used immunocytochemical techniques to localize alterations in GAP-43 protein to specific synapses.

Distributed interactive virtual environments for collaborative experiential learning and training independent of distance over Internet2.

Medical knowledge and skills essential for tomorrow's healthcare professionals continue to change faster than ever before creating new demands in medical education. Project TOUCH (Telehealth Outreach for Unified Community Health) has been developing methods to enhance learning by coupling innovations in medical education with advanced technology in high performance computing and next generation Internet2 embedded in virtual reality environments (VRE), artificial intelligence and experiential active learning. Simulations have been used in education and training to allow learners to make mistakes safely in lieu of real-life situations, learn from those mistakes and ultimately improve performance by subsequent avoidance of those mistakes.

Anatomy and the access grid: exploiting plastinated brain sections for use in distributed medical education.

Computerized animation is becoming an increasingly popular method to provide dynamic presentation of anatomical concepts. However, most animations use artistic renderings as the base illustrations that are subsequently altered to depict movement. In most cases, the artistic rendering is a schematic that lacks realism.

Integration of advanced technologies to enhance problem-based learning over distance: Project TOUCH.

Distance education delivery has increased dramatically in recent years as a result of the rapid advancement of communication technology. The National Computational Science Alliance's Access Grid represents a significant advancement in communication technology with potential for distance medical education. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the TOUCH project (Telehealth Outreach for Unified Community Health; http://hsc.