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Cirugia Y Cirujanos 2024The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of three training methodologies on the acquisition of psychomotor skills for laparoendoscopic single-site surgery... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of three training methodologies on the acquisition of psychomotor skills for laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS), using straight and articulating instruments.
METHODS
A prospective study was conducted with subjects randomly divided into three groups, who performed a specific training for 12 days using three laparoscopic tasks in a laparoscopic simulator. Group-A trained in conventional laparoscopy setting using straight instruments and in LESS setting using both straight and articulating instruments. Group-B trained in LESS setting using straight and articulating instruments, whereas Group-C trained in LESS setting using articulating instruments. Participants' performance was recorded with a video-tracking system and evaluated with 12 motion analysis parameters (MAPs).
RESULTS
All groups obtained significant differences in their performance in most of the MAPs. Group-C showed an improvement in nine MAPs, with a high level of technical competence. Group-A presented a marked improvement in bimanual dexterity skills.
CONCLUSIONS
Training in LESS surgery using articulating laparoscopic instruments improves the quality of skills and allows smoother learning curves.
Topics: Laparoscopy; Humans; Prospective Studies; Clinical Competence; Male; Female; Psychomotor Performance; Adult; Simulation Training; Young Adult; Learning Curve
PubMed: 38782379
DOI: 10.24875/CIRU.22000536 -
Trials May 2024Acquired brain injury (ABI) often leads to persisting somatic, cognitive, and social impairments. Cognitive impairments of processing speed, sustained attention, and...
Virtual reality as a method of cognitive training of processing speed, working memory, and sustained attention in persons with acquired brain injury: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND
Acquired brain injury (ABI) often leads to persisting somatic, cognitive, and social impairments. Cognitive impairments of processing speed, sustained attention, and working memory are frequently reported and may negatively affect activities of daily living and quality of life. Rehabilitation efforts aiming to retrain these cognitive functions have often consisted of computerized training programs. However, few studies have demonstrated effects that transfer beyond the trained tasks. There is a growing optimism regarding the potential usefulness of virtual reality (VR) in cognitive rehabilitation. The research literature is sparse, and existing studies are characterized by considerable methodological weaknesses. There is also a lack of knowledge about the acceptance and tolerability of VR as an intervention method for people with ABI. The present study aims to investigate whether playing a commercially available VR game is effective in training cognitive functions after ABI and to explore if the possible effects transfer into everyday functioning.
METHODS
One hundred participants (18-65 years), with a verified ABI, impairments of processing speed/attention, and/or working memory, and a minimum of 12 months post injury will be recruited. Participants with severe aphasia, apraxia, visual neglect, epilepsy, and severe mental illness will be excluded. Participants will be randomized into two parallel groups: (1) an intervention group playing a commercial VR game taxing processing speed, working memory, and sustained attention; (2) an active control group receiving psychoeducation regarding compensatory strategies, and general cognitive training tasks such as crossword puzzles or sudoku. The intervention period is 5 weeks. The VR group will be asked to train at home for 30 min 5 days per week. Each participant will be assessed at baseline with neuropsychological tests and questionnaires, after the end of the intervention (5 weeks), and 16 weeks after baseline. After the end of the intervention period, focus group interviews will be conducted with 10 of the participants in the intervention group, in order to investigate acceptance and tolerability of VR as a training method.
DISCUSSION
This study will contribute to improve understanding of how VR is tolerated and experienced by the ABI population. If proven effective, the study can contribute to new rehabilitation methods that persons with ABI can utilize in a home setting, after the post-acute rehabilitation has ended.
Topics: Humans; Attention; Memory, Short-Term; Brain Injuries; Cognition; Middle Aged; Adult; Adolescent; Young Adult; Time Factors; Male; Aged; Female; Treatment Outcome; Video Games; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Activities of Daily Living; Virtual Reality; Neuropsychological Tests; Cognitive Remediation; Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy; Recovery of Function; Transfer, Psychology; Cognitive Training; Processing Speed
PubMed: 38778411
DOI: 10.1186/s13063-024-08178-7 -
Behavioural Brain Research Jul 2024Goal-directed acting requires the integration of sensory information but can also be performed without direct sensory input. Examples of this can be found in sports and...
Goal-directed acting requires the integration of sensory information but can also be performed without direct sensory input. Examples of this can be found in sports and can be conceptualized by feedforward processes. There is, however, still a lack of understanding of the temporal neural dynamics and neuroanatomical structures involved in such processes. In the current study, we used EEG beamforming methods and examined 37 healthy participants in two well-controlled experiments varying the necessity of anticipatory processes during goal-directed action. We found that alpha and beta activity in the medial and posterior cingulate cortex enabled feedforward predictions about the position of an object based on the latest sensorimotor state. On this basis, theta band activity seems more related to sensorimotor representations, while beta band activity would be more involved in setting up the structure of the neural representations themselves. Alpha band activity in sensory cortices reflects an intensified gating of the anticipated perceptual consequences of the to-be-executed action. Together, the findings indicate that goal-directed acting through the anticipation of the predicted state of an effector is based on accompanying processes in multiple frequency bands in midcingulate and sensory brain regions.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Adult; Young Adult; Imagination; Electroencephalography; Goals; Brain; Alpha Rhythm; Gyrus Cinguli; Anticipation, Psychological; Beta Rhythm; Psychomotor Performance; Brain Waves
PubMed: 38777262
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115063 -
Applied Ergonomics Sep 2024Dynamic sitting may mitigate low back pain during prolonged seated work. The current study compared pelvis and lumbar spine kinematics, pain, and work productivity, in... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Dynamic sitting may mitigate low back pain during prolonged seated work. The current study compared pelvis and lumbar spine kinematics, pain, and work productivity, in traditional and dynamic sitting. Sixteen participants completed three 20-min blocks of computer work and activity guided tasks in a traditional office chair or backless and multiaxial rotating seat pan while kinematics were measured from accelerometers on the low back. Pain ratings were recorded on a visual analogue scale every 10 min. Similar pelvis and lumbar kinematics emerged when performing computer work in traditional and dynamic sitting. Pelvis and lumbar sagittal and frontal plane shifts and fidgets were largest for dynamic sitting in the activity guided tasks. Buttocks pain was higher in dynamic sitting, but low back pain and work productivity were unaffected. Dynamic sitting increased spine movement during activity guided tasks, without negatively impacting lumbar kinematics, low back pain, or productivity during seated computer work.
Topics: Humans; Sitting Position; Biomechanical Phenomena; Male; Lumbar Vertebrae; Female; Low Back Pain; Adult; Young Adult; Movement; Computers; Pelvis; Accelerometry; Pain Measurement; Task Performance and Analysis; Ergonomics; Efficiency; Posture; Buttocks; Occupational Diseases; Work
PubMed: 38776566
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2024.104310 -
Cortex; a Journal Devoted To the Study... Jul 2024Selective attention is a cognitive function that helps filter out unwanted information. Theories such as the biased competition model (Desimone & Duncan, 1995) explain...
Selective attention is a cognitive function that helps filter out unwanted information. Theories such as the biased competition model (Desimone & Duncan, 1995) explain how attentional templates bias processing towards targets in contexts where multiple stimuli compete for resources. However, it is unclear how the anticipation of different levels of competition influences the nature of attentional templates, in a proactive fashion. In this study, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate how the anticipated demands of attentional selection (either high or low stimuli competition contexts) modulate target-specific preparatory brain activity and its relationship with task performance. To do so, participants performed a sex/gender judgment task in a cue-target paradigm where, depending on the block, target and distractor stimuli appeared simultaneously (high competition) or sequentially (low competition). Multivariate Pattern Analysis (MVPA) showed that, in both competition contexts, there was a preactivation of the target category to select, with a ramping-up profile at the end of the preparatory interval. However, cross-classification showed no generalization across competition conditions, suggesting different preparatory formats. Notably, time-frequency analyses showed differences between anticipated competition demands, with higher theta band power for high than low competition, which mediated the impact of subsequent stimuli competition on behavioral performance. Overall, our results show that, whereas preactivation of the internal templates associated with the category to select are engaged in advance in high and low competition contexts, their underlying neural patterns differ. In addition, these codes could not be associated with theta power, suggesting that they reflect different preparatory processes. The implications of these findings are crucial to increase our understanding of the nature of top-down processes across different contexts.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Attention; Electroencephalography; Young Adult; Adult; Reaction Time; Brain; Cues; Psychomotor Performance; Judgment
PubMed: 38772050
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.04.009 -
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) May 2024Variability in brain structure is associated with the capacity for behavioral change. However, a causal link between specific brain areas and behavioral change (such as...
Variability in brain structure is associated with the capacity for behavioral change. However, a causal link between specific brain areas and behavioral change (such as motor learning) has not been demonstrated. We hypothesized that greater gray matter volume of a primary motor cortex (M1) area active during a hand motor learning task is positively correlated with subsequent learning of the task, and that the disruption of this area blocks learning of the task. Healthy participants underwent structural MRI before learning a skilled hand motor task. Next, participants performed this learning task during fMRI to determine M1 areas functionally active during this task. This functional ROI was anatomically constrained with M1 boundaries to create a group-level "Active-M1" ROI used to measure gray matter volume in each participant. Greater gray matter volume in the left hemisphere Active-M1 ROI was related to greater motor learning in the corresponding right hand. When M1 hand area was disrupted with repetitive transcranial stimulation (rTMS), learning of the motor task was blocked, confirming its causal link to motor learning. Our combined imaging and rTMS approach revealed greater cortical volume in a task-relevant M1 area is causally related to learning of a hand motor task in healthy humans.
Topics: Humans; Motor Cortex; Male; Female; Hand; Learning; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Adult; Young Adult; Gray Matter; Motor Skills; Brain Mapping; Functional Laterality
PubMed: 38771243
DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae210 -
Communications Biology May 2024Dairy fat has a unique lipid profile; it is rich in short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids that induce ketone production and has a balanced ω6/ω3 ratio that...
Dairy fat has a unique lipid profile; it is rich in short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids that induce ketone production and has a balanced ω6/ω3 ratio that promotes cognitive development in early life. Moreover, the high consumption of vegetable oils in pregnant and lactating women raises concerns regarding the quality of lipids provided to offspring. Here, we investigate maternal dairy fat intake during gestation and lactation in a highly valuable primate model for infant nutritional studies, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus). Two experimental diets are provided to gestant mouse lemurs: a dairy fat-based (DF) or vegetable fat-based diet (VF). The psychomotor performance of neonates is tested during their first 30 days. Across all tasks, we observe more successful neonates born to mothers fed a DF diet. A greater rate of falls is observed in 8-day-old VF neonates, which is associated with delayed psychomotor development. Our findings suggest the potential benefits of lipids originating from a lactovegetarian diet compared with those originating from a vegan diet for the psychomotor development of neonates.
Topics: Animals; Female; Cheirogaleidae; Cognition; Pregnancy; Dietary Fats; Animals, Newborn; Psychomotor Performance; Dairy Products; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Lactation; Male; Plant Oils
PubMed: 38769408
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06255-w -
PloS One 2024Whereas motor skills of the untrained upper limb (UL) can improve following practice with the other UL, it has yet to be determined if an UL motor skill can improve... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Whereas motor skills of the untrained upper limb (UL) can improve following practice with the other UL, it has yet to be determined if an UL motor skill can improve following practice of that skill with the lower limb (LL).
METHODS
Forty-five healthy subjects randomly participated in a 10-minute single-session intervention of (1) practicing 50 reaching movement (RM) sequences with the non-dominant left LL toward light switches (LL group); or (2) observing the identical 50 light switches sequences (Switches Observation (SO) group); or (3) observing nature films (Nature Observation (NO) group). RM sequence performance with the left UL toward the light switches was tested before and immediately after the intervention and retested after 24 h.
RESULTS
Reaching response time improved in the LL group more than in the SO and NO groups in the posttest (pBonferroni = 0.038 and pBonferroni < 0.001, respectively), and improved in the LL group more than in the NO group in the retest (pBonferroni = 0.004). Percentage of fails did not differ between groups across the timepoints.
CONCLUSIONS
It appears that the actual practice of the RM sequence skill with the UL together with the cognitive element embedded in the observation of the RM sequences contributes to ipsilateral transfer from LL to UL.
Topics: Humans; Motor Skills; Male; Female; Adult; Upper Extremity; Lower Extremity; Young Adult; Movement; Healthy Volunteers
PubMed: 38768164
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303459 -
PloS One 2024Whether a saccade is accurate and has reached the target cannot be evaluated during its execution, but relies on post-saccadic feedback. If the eye has missed the target...
Whether a saccade is accurate and has reached the target cannot be evaluated during its execution, but relies on post-saccadic feedback. If the eye has missed the target object, a secondary corrective saccade has to be made to align the fovea with the target. If a systematic post-saccadic error occurs, adaptive changes to the oculomotor behavior are made, such as shortening or lengthening the saccade amplitude. Systematic post-saccadic errors are typically attributed internally to erroneous motor commands. The corresponding adaptive changes to the motor command reduce the error and the need for secondary corrective saccades, and, in doing so, restore accuracy and efficiency. However, adaptive changes to the oculomotor behavior also occur if a change in saccade amplitude is beneficial for task performance, or if it is rewarded. Oculomotor learning thus is more complex than reducing a post-saccadic position error. In the current study, we used a novel oculomotor learning paradigm and investigated whether human participants are able to adapt their oculomotor behavior to improve task performance even when they attribute the error externally. The task was to indicate the intended target object among several objects to a simulated human-machine interface by making eye movements. The participants were informed that the system itself could make errors. The decoding process depended on a distorted landing point of the saccade, resulting in decoding errors. Two different types of visual feedback were added to the post-saccadic scene and we compared how participants used the different feedback types to adjust their oculomotor behavior to avoid errors. We found that task performance improved over time, regardless of the type of feedback. Thus, error feedback from the simulated human-machine interface was used for post-saccadic error evaluation. This indicates that 1) artificial visual feedback signals and 2) externally caused errors might drive adaptive changes to oculomotor behavior.
Topics: Humans; Saccades; Adult; Male; Female; Eye Movements; Young Adult; Psychomotor Performance; Learning
PubMed: 38768134
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302872 -
Journal of Neuroengineering and... May 2024Proprioceptive impairments are common after stroke and are associated with worse motor recovery and poor rehabilitation outcomes. Motor learning may also be an important...
BACKGROUND
Proprioceptive impairments are common after stroke and are associated with worse motor recovery and poor rehabilitation outcomes. Motor learning may also be an important factor in motor recovery, and some evidence in healthy adults suggests that reduced proprioceptive function is associated with reductions in motor learning. It is unclear how impairments in proprioception and motor learning relate after stroke. Here we used robotics and a traditional clinical assessment to examine the link between impairments in proprioception after stroke and a type of motor learning known as visuomotor adaptation.
METHODS
We recruited participants with first-time unilateral stroke and controls matched for overall age and sex. Proprioceptive impairments in the more affected arm were assessed using robotic arm position- (APM) and movement-matching (AMM) tasks. We also assessed proprioceptive impairments using a clinical scale (Thumb Localization Test; TLT). Visuomotor adaptation was assessed using a task that systematically rotated hand cursor feedback during reaching movements (VMR). We quantified how much participants adapted to the disturbance and how many trials they took to adapt to the same levels as controls. Spearman's rho was used to examine the relationship between proprioception, assessed using robotics and the TLT, and visuomotor adaptation. Data from healthy adults were used to identify participants with stroke who were impaired in proprioception and visuomotor adaptation. The independence of impairments in proprioception and adaptation were examined using Fisher's exact tests.
RESULTS
Impairments in proprioception (58.3%) and adaptation (52.1%) were common in participants with stroke (n = 48; 2.10% acute, 70.8% subacute, 27.1% chronic stroke). Performance on the APM task, AMM task, and TLT scores correlated weakly with measures of visuomotor adaptation. Fisher's exact tests demonstrated that impairments in proprioception, assessed using robotics and the TLT, were independent from impairments in visuomotor adaptation in our sample.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest impairments in proprioception may be independent from impairments in visuomotor adaptation after stroke. Further studies are needed to understand factors that influence the relationship between motor learning, proprioception and other rehabilitation outcomes throughout stroke recovery.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Proprioception; Middle Aged; Adaptation, Physiological; Stroke; Stroke Rehabilitation; Aged; Psychomotor Performance; Robotics; Adult
PubMed: 38762552
DOI: 10.1186/s12984-024-01360-7