Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

A neurosurgeon explains why visualization works

Marc Arginteanu, MD
Conditions
March 1, 2021
957 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Brain science explains why visualization improves performance in the real world, helps make better decisions, and minimizes errors.

Before performing surgery, let’s say for a herniated disc, I stand in front of a white porcelain sink. Antiseptic bubbles cover my hands and drip from my forearms. The surgery takes place in my mind, playing like a movie on the inside of my eyelids: The setting of retractors, the dust from the drilled bone, the metallic smell of blood, capped by the neurosurgical triumph as I relieve the bruised and battered nerve root.  

By the time I gown and glove,  the surgery has been flawlessly completed in my head.

And visualization is not only for neurosurgeons.  Professional athletes, business executives, and musicians have lauded the benefits of mental rehearsal.  Visualization is widely believed to improve outcomes during the real thing and to help to achieve peak performance.

But why does mental rehearsal work?

Norwegian scientists proved that visualization results in phenomena that can be physically tested.   In 2014, they investigated whether the pupils of your eyes adjust to imagined light in the same way they do to real light.  They asked volunteers to view real shapes that appeared on a screen but asked them to imagine the shapes to be in either a sunny sky or a dark room.  Using infrared eye-tracking technology, the scientists measured the changes in the diameter of the test subjects’ pupils.  If a participant was asked to visualize bright light, her pupils constricted almost as much as they would in the sunshine.  If she was asked to visualize the shape in darkness, her pupils dilated almost as much as they would if she were sitting in a dark room.

Scientists at Stanford took things a step further.  In 2018 they devised an electronic machine and surgically implanted it into the motor cortex of several monkeys.  The motor cortex is an area of the brain that allows us to move our face and body.  The monkeys’ brains were connected to a computer using a brain-computer interface (BCI).

The investigators studied the monkeys’ brain activity as they moved a cursor across the computer screen using only their minds.  Afterward, the monkeys were detached from the machines and were able to move the cursor without ever having practiced in the real world.  Mental rehearsal was demonstrated to be almost as good as real-world practice.

Experiments like these help explain how visualization helps train the brain to perform better in the real world, make better decisions and minimize errors.

Marc Arginteanu is a neurosurgeon.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

How financial independence evolution shaped the end of my medical career

March 1, 2021 Kevin 0
…
Next

Peer support during the era of COVID-19

March 1, 2021 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Neurology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How financial independence evolution shaped the end of my medical career
Next Post >
Peer support during the era of COVID-19

More by Marc Arginteanu, MD

  • Why do smart doctors sink money into silly investments?

    Marc Arginteanu, MD
  • The ramparts of the neurosurgeon’s mind were unassailable

    Marc Arginteanu, MD
  • 2 questions you should ask when choosing a surgeon

    Marc Arginteanu, MD

Related Posts

  • Motrin vs. Tylenol for children: A pediatrician explains

    Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD
  • A DEA agent explains how to fight the opioid crisis and mitigate DEA risk

    Dennis Wichern
  • CBD: What is it? A former DEA agent explains.

    Dennis Wichern
  • Qualifying conditions for medical marijuana

    Patricia Frye
  • Settlements in the opioid cases need these non-negotiable conditions

    Rosanne Aulino, RN
  • What does Kelly Loeffler’s health plan do to coverage for preexisting conditions?

    Robert Laszewski

More in Conditions

  • Lazarus: the dead man brought back to life

    William Lynes, MD
  • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

    Greg Smith, MD
  • 5 essential tips to help men prevent prostate cancer

    Kevin Jones, MD
  • Changing the pediatric care landscape: Integrating behavioral and mental health care

    Hilary M. Bowers, MD
  • Unlocking the secret to successful weight loss: Curiosity is the key

    Franchell Hamilton, MD
  • The teacher who changed my life through reading

    Raymond Abbott
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy

      Mohammed Umer Waris, MD | Policy
    • Breaking the stigma: Addressing the struggles of physicians

      Jean Antonucci, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The hidden gems of health care: Unlocking the potential of narrative medicine

      Dr. Najat Fadlallah | Physician
    • The realities of immigrant health care served hot from America’s melting pot

      Stella Cho | Policy
    • The dark side of immortality: What if we could live forever?

      Ketan Desai, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Lazarus: the dead man brought back to life

      William Lynes, MD | Conditions
    • Revolutionizing COPD management with virtual care solutions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What I think it means to be a medical student in the wake of AI

      Jackson J. McCue | Tech

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Marginalized Groups May Benefit More From Decreasing Air Pollution
  • Pitolisant Safe and Effective in Children With Narcolepsy
  • Functional Neurological Disorder Emerges After COVID Infection, Vaccines
  • Neuromodulation of the Peroneal Nerve Safe for Overactive Bladder
  • Clinical Challenges: Test Your Knowledge of Atopic Dermatitis

Meeting Coverage

  • Switch to IL-23 Blocker Yields Deep Responses in Recalcitrant Plaque Psoriasis
  • Biomarkers of Response With Enfortumab Vedotin in Advanced Urothelial Cancer
  • At-Home Topical Therapy for Molluscum Contagiosum Gets High Marks
  • Outlook for Itchy Prurigo Nodularis Continues to Improve With IL-31 Antagonist
  • AAAAI President Shares Highlights From the 2023 Meeting
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy

      Mohammed Umer Waris, MD | Policy
    • Breaking the stigma: Addressing the struggles of physicians

      Jean Antonucci, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The hidden gems of health care: Unlocking the potential of narrative medicine

      Dr. Najat Fadlallah | Physician
    • The realities of immigrant health care served hot from America’s melting pot

      Stella Cho | Policy
    • The dark side of immortality: What if we could live forever?

      Ketan Desai, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Lazarus: the dead man brought back to life

      William Lynes, MD | Conditions
    • Revolutionizing COPD management with virtual care solutions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What I think it means to be a medical student in the wake of AI

      Jackson J. McCue | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...