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Updated: May 25, 2026

A Method for Remotely Silencing Neural Activity in Rodents During Discrete Phases of Learning
Published on: June 22, 2015
Do not teach me while I am working!
Adam Dubrowski1, Ryan Brydges, Lisa Satterthwaite
1SickKids Learning and Research Institutes, Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada. adam.dubrowski@sickkids.ca
Background:
The aim of this study was to determine if technical surgical experience enhances the learning of new cognitive information under multitasking conditions.
Methods:
Junior (years 1-3) and experienced (years 4 and 5) general surgery residents performed a Nissen fundoplication on a synthetic model (the primary task). While performing the primary task, they listened to and memorized information describing the steps of a computer-assisted hip replacement surgery (the secondary task). Performance on the primary and secondary tasks was assessed using performance metrics and multiple-choice questions.
Results:
The primary task was performed better by the senior than the junior trainees (P = .001, P = .007). The senior trainees also scored higher on the secondary task than the junior trainees (P = .001).
Conclusions:
Senior trainees have superior capacity to multitask. This may have direct implications on both clinical and simulation-based education, such that educators need to adjust the amount of information presented in accordance to trainees' levels of training.
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