Changes in brain activity of trainees during laparoscopic surgical virtual training assessed with electroencephalography.

Objective: Evaluate changes in brain activity of trainees during laparoscopic surgical training from electroencephalographic (EEG) signals in an ecological scenario with few restrictions for the user.

Design: Longitudinal study with two follow-up measurements in the first and last session of a 4-week training with LapSim laparoscopic surgery simulator. Variables analyzed include EEG neuronal activations in theta and alpha bands, tasks performance measures, and subjective measures such as perception of mental workload.