scholarly journals A Tablet-Based Virtual Environment for Neurosurgery Training

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel W. John ◽  
Nicholas I. Phillips ◽  
Llyr ap Cenydd ◽  
David Coope ◽  
Nick Carleton-Bland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Entry Point ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Anatomical Landmarks ◽  
Training Tool ◽  
The Uk

The requirement for training surgical procedures without exposing the patient to additional risk is well accepted and is part of a national drive in the UK and internationally. Computer-based simulations are important in this context, including neurosurgical resident training. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a custom-built virtual environment in assisting training of a ventriculostomy procedure. The training tool (called VCath) has been developed as an app for a tablet platform to provide easy access and availability to trainees. The study was conducted at the first boot camp organized for all year-one trainees in neurosurgery in the UK. The attendees were randomly distributed between the VCath training group and the control group. Efficacy of performing ventriculostomy for both groups was assessed at the beginning and end of the study using a simulated insertion task. Statistically significant changes in performance of selecting the burr hole entry point, the trajectory length and duration metrics for the VCath group, together with a good indicator of improved normalized jerk (representing the speed and smoothness of arm motion), all suggest that there has been a higher-level cognitive benefit to using VCath. The app is successful as it is focused on the cognitive task of ventriculostomy, encouraging the trainee to rehearse the entry point and use anatomical landmarks to create a trajectory to the target. In straight-line trajectory procedures such as ventriculostomy, cognitive task-based education is a useful adjunct to traditional methods and may reduce the learning curve and ultimately improve patient safety.

scholarly journals The Use of Stereoscopy in a Neurosurgery Training Virtual Environment

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel W. John ◽  
Nicholas I. Phillips ◽  
Llyr ap Cenydd ◽  
Serban R. Pop ◽  
David Coope ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Control Group ◽  
High Fidelity ◽  
Stereoscopic Display ◽  
Apparent Contradiction ◽  
Training Tool ◽  
Stereo Display ◽  
Lay People ◽  
The Uk

We have previously investigated the effectiveness of a custom-built virtual environment in assisting training of a ventriculostomy procedure, which is a commonly performed procedure by a neurosurgeon and a core task for trainee surgeons. The training tool (called VCath) was initially developed as a low-fidelity app for a tablet platform to provide easy access and availability to trainees. Subsequently, we have developed a high-fidelity version of VCath that uses a stereoscopic display to immerse the trainee in the virtual environment. This article reports on two studies that have been carried out to compare the low- and high-fidelity versions of VCath, particularly to assess the value of stereoscopy. Study 1 was conducted at the second annual boot camp organized for all year-one trainees in neurosurgery in the UK. Study 2 was performed on lay people, with no surgical experience. Our hypothesis was that using stereoscopy in the training task would be beneficial. Results from Study 1 demonstrated that performance improved for both the control group and the group trained with the tablet version of VCath. The group trained on the high-fidelity version of VCath with a stereoscopic display showed no performance improvement. The indication is that our hypothesis is false. In Study 2, six different conditions were investigated that covered the use of training with VCath on a tablet, a mono display at two different sizes, a stereo display at two different sizes, and a control group who received no training. Results from this study with lay people show that stereoscopy can make a significant improvement to the accuracy of needle placement. The possible reasons for these results and the apparent contradiction between the two studies are discussed.

Feasibility and Efficacy of Brief Computerized Training to Improve Emotion Recognition in Premanifest and Early-Symptomatic Huntington’s Disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 314-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare L. Kempnich ◽  
Dana Wong ◽  
Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis ◽  
Julie C. Stout
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Training Time ◽  
Training Tool ◽  
Computerized Training

AbstractObjectives: Deficits in the recognition of negative emotions emerge before clinical diagnosis in Huntington’s disease (HD). To address emotion recognition deficits, which have been shown in schizophrenia to be improved by computerized training, we conducted a study of the feasibility and efficacy of computerized training of emotion recognition in HD. Methods: We randomly assigned 22 individuals with premanifest or early symptomatic HD to the training or control group. The training group used a self-guided online training program, MicroExpression Training Tool (METT), twice weekly for 4 weeks. All participants completed measures of emotion recognition at baseline and post-training time-points. Participants in the training group also completed training adherence measures. Results: Participants in the training group completed seven of the eight sessions on average. Results showed a significant group by time interaction, indicating that METT training was associated with improved accuracy in emotion recognition. Conclusions: Although sample size was small, our study demonstrates that emotion recognition remediation using the METT is feasible in terms of training adherence. The evidence also suggests METT may be effective in premanifest or early-symptomatic HD, opening up a potential new avenue for intervention. Further study with a larger sample size is needed to replicate these findings, and to characterize the durability and generalizability of these improvements, and their impact on functional outcomes in HD. (JINS, 2017, 23, 314–321)

scholarly journals Training-dependent transfer within a set of nested tasks

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Rennie ◽  
Jonathan Jones ◽  
Duncan Astle
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Assessment Task ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Full Complement ◽  
Extended Practice ◽  
Feature Overlap ◽  
Level Training

Extended practice on a particular cognitive task can boost the performance of other tasks, even though they themselves have not been practiced. This transfer of benefits appears to be specific, occurring most when tasks are very similar to those being trained. But what type of similarity is most important for predicting transfer? This question is addressed with a tightly controlled randomised design, with a relatively large sample (N=175) and an adaptive control group. We created a hierarchical set of nested assessment tasks. Participants then trained on two of the tasks: one was relatively ‘low’ in the hierarchy requiring just simultaneous judgments of shapes’ spikiness, whereas the other was relatively ‘high’ requiring delayed judgments of shapes’ spikiness or number of spikes in a switching paradigm. Using the full complement of nested tasks before and after training we could then test whether and how these ‘low’ and ‘high’ training effects cascade through the hierarchy. For both training groups, relative to the control, whether or not an assessment task shared a single specific feature was the best predictor of transfer patterns. For the lower-level training group, the overall proportion of feature overlap also significantly predicted transfer, but the same was not true for the higher-level training group. Finally, pre-training between-task correlations were not predictive of the pattern of transfer for either group. Together these findings provide an experimental exploration of the specificity of transfer, and establish the nature of task overlap that is crucial for the transfer of performance improvements.

scholarly journals Training-dependent transfer within a set of nested tasks

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182199377
Author(s):  
Joseph P Rennie ◽  
Jonathan Jones ◽  
Duncan E Astle
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Assessment Task ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Extended Practice ◽  
Feature Overlap ◽  
High Level ◽  
Level Training

Extended practice on a particular cognitive task can boost the performance of other tasks, even though they themselves have not been practised. This transfer of benefits appears to be specific, occurring most when tasks are very similar to those being trained. But what type of similarity is most important for predicting transfer? This question is addressed with a tightly controlled randomised design, with a relatively large sample ( N = 175) and an adaptive control group. We created a hierarchical set of nested assessment tasks. Participants then trained on two of the tasks: one was relatively “low” in the hierarchy requiring just simultaneous judgements of shapes’ spikiness, whereas the other was relatively “high” requiring delayed judgements of shapes’ spikiness or number of spikes in a switching paradigm. Using the full complement of nested tasks before and after training, we could then test whether and how these “low” and “high” training effects cascade through the hierarchy. For both training groups, relative to the control, whether or not an assessment task shared a single specific feature was the best predictor of transfer patterns. For the low-level training group, the overall proportion of feature overlap also significantly predicted transfer, but the same was not true for the high-level training group. Finally, pre-training between-task correlations were not predictive of the pattern of transfer for either group. Together these findings provide an experimental exploration of the specificity of transfer and establish the nature of task overlap that is crucial for the transfer of performance improvements.

The Effects of a Caffeine Placebo and Experimenter Expectation on Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Well-Being, and Cognitive Performance

2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Walach ◽  
Stefan Schmidt ◽  
Yvonne-Michelle Bihr ◽  
Susanne Wiesch
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Being There ◽  
To Receive

We studied the effect of experimenter expectations and different instructions in a balanced placebo design. 157 subjects were randomized into a 2 × 4 factorial design. Two experimenters were led to expect placebos either to produce physiological effects or not (pro- vs. antiplacebo). All subjects except a control group received a caffeine placebo. They were either made to expect coffee, no coffee, or were in a double-blind condition. Dependent measures were blood pressure, heart rate, well-being, and a cognitive task. There was one main effect on the instruction factor (p = 0.03) with the group “told no caffeine” reporting significantly better well-being. There was one main effect on the experimenter factor with subjects instructed by experimenter “proplacebo” having higher systolic blood pressure (p = 0.008). There was one interaction with subjects instructed by experimenter “proplacebo” to receive coffee doing worse in the cognitive task than the rest. Subjects instructed by experimenter “antiplacebo” were significantly less likely to believe the experimental instruction, and that mostly if they had been instructed to receive coffee. Contrary to the literature we could not show an effect of instruction, but there was an effect of experimenters. It is likely, however, that these experimenter effects were not due to experimental manipulations, but to the difference in personalities.

In a Working Mood?

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Reinecke ◽  
Sabine Trepte
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Prior Experience ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mood Management ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Personal Media ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Subsequent Task

Abstract. This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of exposure to a computer game on arousal and subsequent task performance. After inducing a state of low arousal, participants were assigned to experimental or control conditions via self-selection. Members of the experimental group played a computer game for five minutes; subjects in the control group spent the same amount of time awaiting further instructions. Participants who were exposed to the computer game showed significantly higher levels of arousal and performed significantly better on a subsequent cognitive task. The pattern of results was not influenced by the participants' prior experience with the game. The findings indicate that mood-management processes associated with personal media use at the workplace go beyond the alteration of arousal and affect subsequent cognitive performance.

scholarly journals Greater Power but Not Strength Gains Using Flywheel Versus Equivolumed Traditional Strength Training in Junior Basketball Players

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1181
Author(s):  
Marko D. M. Stojanović ◽  
Mladen Mikić ◽  
Patrik Drid ◽  
Julio Calleja-González ◽  
Nebojša Maksimović ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Strength Training ◽  
Training Group ◽  
T Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Sprint Time ◽  
Change Of Direction ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
And Control

The main aim of the present study was to compare the effects of flywheel strength training and traditional strength training on fitness attributes. Thirty-six well trained junior basketball players (n = 36; 17.58 ± 0.50 years) were recruited and randomly allocated into: Flywheel group (FST; n = 12), traditional strength training group (TST; n = 12) and control group (CON; n = 12). All groups attended 5 basketball practices and one official match a week during the study period. Experimental groups additionally participated in the eight-week, 1–2 d/w equivolume intervention conducted using a flywheel device (inertia = 0.075 kg·m−2) for FST or free weights (80%1 RM) for TST. Pre-to post changes in lower limb isometric strength (ISOMET), 5 and 20 m sprint time (SPR5m and SPR20m), countermovement jump height (CMJ) and change of direction ability (t-test) were assessed with analyses of variance (3 × 2 ANOVA). Significant group-by-time interaction was found for ISOMET (F = 6.40; p = 0.000), CMJ (F = 7.45; p = 0.001), SPR5m (F = 7.45; p = 0.010) and T test (F = 10.46; p = 0.000). The results showed a significantly higher improvement in CMJ (p = 0.006; 11.7% vs. 6.8%), SPR5m (p = 0.001; 10.3% vs. 5.9%) and t-test (p = 0.045; 2.4% vs. 1.5%) for FST compared to the TST group. Simultaneously, th FST group had higher improvement in ISOMET (p = 0.014; 18.7% vs. 2.9%), CMJ (p = 0.000; 11.7% vs. 0.3%), SPR5m (p = 0.000; 10.3% vs. 3.4%) and t-test (p = 0.000; 2.4% vs. 0.6%) compared to the CON group. Players from the TST group showed better results in CMJ (p = 0.006; 6.8% vs. 0.3%) and t-test (p = 0.018; 1.5% vs. 0.6%) compared to players from the CON group. No significant group-by-time interaction was found for sprint 20 m (F = 2.52; p = 0.088). Eight weeks of flywheel training (1–2 sessions per week) performed at maximum concentric intensity induces superior improvements in CMJ, 5 m sprint time and change of direction ability than equivolumed traditional weight training in well trained junior basketball players. Accordingly, coaches and trainers could be advised to use flywheel training for developing power related performance attributes in young basketball players.

scholarly journals Effect of Resisted Sprint and Plyometric Training on Lower Limb Functional Performance in Collegiate Male Football Players: A Randomised Control Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 6702
Author(s):  
Shahnaz Hasan ◽  
Gokulakannan Kandasamy ◽  
Danah Alyahya ◽  
Asma Alonazi ◽  
Azfar Jamal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Performance ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Plyometric Training ◽  
Sprint Training ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Hop Test ◽  
Collegiate Football

The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the short-term effects of resisted sprint and plyometric training on sprint performance together with lower limb physiological and functional performance in collegiate football players. Ninety collegiate football players participated in this three-arm, parallel group randomized controlled trial study. Participants were randomly divided into a control group and two experimental groups: resisted sprint training (RST) (n = 30), plyometric training (PT) (n = 30), and a control group (n = 30). Participants received their respective training program for six weeks on alternate days. The primary outcome measures were a knee extensor strength test (measured by an ISOMOVE dynamometer), a sprint test and a single leg triple hop test. Measurements were taken at baseline and after 6 weeks post-training. Participants, caregivers, and those assigning the outcomes were blinded to the group assignment. A mixed design analysis of variance was used to compare between groups, within-group and the interaction between time and group. A within-group analysis revealed a significant difference (p < 0.05) when compared to the baseline with the 6 weeks post-intervention scores for all the outcomes including STN (RST: d = 1.63; PT: d = 2.38; Control: d = 2.26), ST (RST: d = 1.21; PT: d = 1.36; Control: d = 0.38), and SLTHT (RST: d = 0.76; PT: d = 0.61; Control: d = 0.18). A sub-group analysis demonstrated an increase in strength in the plyometric training group (95% CI 14.73 to 15.09, p = 0.00), an increase in the single leg triple hop test in the resisted sprint training group (95% CI 516.41 to 538.4, p = 0.05), and the sprint test was also improved in both experimental groups (95% CI 8.54 to 8.82, p = 0.00). Our findings suggest that, during a short-term training period, RST or PT training are equally capable of enhancing the neuromechanical capacities of collegiate football players. No adverse events were reported by the participants.

scholarly journals The effects of combined cognitive training on prospective memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Chen ◽  
Wei Zhou ◽  
Zijing Hong ◽  
Rongrong Hu ◽  
Zhibin Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Strategy Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Executive Function Training ◽  
Encoding Strategy

AbstractThis study aimed to assess the effects of combined cognitive training on prospective memory ability of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A total of 113 participants were divided into a control group and three intervention groups. Over three months, the control group received only community education without any training, whereas for the first six weeks, an executive function training group received executive function training, a memory strategy training group received semantic encoding strategy training, and the combined cognitive training group received executive function training twice a week for the first six weeks, and semantic encoding strategy training twice a week for the next six weeks. The combined cognitive training group showed improvement on the objective neuropsychological testing (Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale). The memory strategy training group showed improvement on the self-evaluation scales (PRMQ-PM). Combined cognitive training improved the prospective memory and cognitive function of older adults with MCI.

scholarly journals Effects of multi-domain cognitive training on working memory retrieval in older adults: behavioral and ERP evidence from a Chinese community study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangfei Hong ◽  
You Chen ◽  
Jijun Wang ◽  
Yuan Shen ◽  
Qingwei Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Baseline Session

AbstractWorking memory (WM) is a fundamental cognitive function that typically declines with age. Previous studies have shown that targeted WM training has the potential to improve WM performance in older adults. In the present study, we investigated whether a multi-domain cognitive training program that was not designed to specifically target WM could improve the behavioral performance and affect the neural activity during WM retrieval in healthy older adults. We assigned healthy older participants (70–78 years old) from a local community into a training group who completed a 3-month multi-domain cognitive training and a control group who only attended health education lectures during the same period. Behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded from participants while performing an untrained delayed match or non-match to category task and a control task at a pre-training baseline session and a post-training follow-up session. Behaviorally, we found that participants in the training group showed a trend toward greater WM performance gains than participants in the control group. Event-related potential (ERP) results suggest that the task-related modulation of P3 during WM retrieval was significantly enhanced at the follow-up session compared with the baseline session, and importantly, this enhancement of P3 modulation was only significant in the training group. Furthermore, no training-related effects were observed for the P2 or N2 component during WM retrieval. These results suggest that the multi-domain cognitive training program that was not designed to specifically target WM is a promising approach to improve WM performance in older adults, and that training-related gains in performance are likely mediated by an enhanced modulation of P3 which might reflect the process of WM updating.

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