Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 27, 2025
Simulator Training for Endovascular Neurosurgery
Published on: May 6, 2020
Training with cognitive load improves performance under similar conditions in a real surgical task
Ganesh Sankaranarayanan1, Coleman A Odlozil1, Katerina O Wells1
1Department of Surgery, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
Background:
Enhancing cognitive load while performing a bimanual surgical task affects performance. Whether repeated training under this condition could benefit performance in an operating room was tested using a virtual reality simulator with cognitive load applied through two-digit math multiplication questions.
Method:
11 subjects were randomized to Control, VR and VR + CL groups. After a pre-test, VR and VR + CL groups repeated the peg transfer task 150 times over 15 sessions with cognitive load applied only for the last 100 trials. After training, all groups took a post-test and two weeks later the retention test with and without cognitive load and the transfer task on a pig intestine of 150 cm long under cognitive load.
Results And Conclusion:
Mixed ANOVA analysis showed significant differences between the control and VR and VR + CL groups (p = 0.013, p = 0.009) but no differences between the VR + CL and the VR groups (p = 1.0). GOALS bimanual dexterity score on transfer test show that VR + CL group outperformed both Control and VR groups (p = 0.016, p = 0.03). Training under cognitive load benefitted performance on an actual surgical task under similar conditions.
