Academic Journal
Impact of moderate alcohol consumption on visuo-motor skills in neurosurgical residents.
| Τίτλος: | Impact of moderate alcohol consumption on visuo-motor skills in neurosurgical residents. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Holzer A; Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany. anna-christina.holzer@uk-essen.de., Darkwah Oppong M; Department of Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.; Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany., Schock L; Department of Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.; Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany., Sure U; Department of Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.; Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany., Schoell H; Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Red Cross Hospital Munich, Munich, Germany., Hartung B; Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany., Rauschenbach L; Department of Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.; Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany. |
| Πηγή: | Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2026 Jun 16; Vol. 16 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 16. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, copyright 2011- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Alcohol Drinking*/adverse effects , Motor Skills*/drug effects , Psychomotor Performance*/drug effects , Internship and Residency*, Ethanol/blood ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Blood Alcohol Content ; Neurosurgeons |
| Περίληψη: | Alcohol adversely affects cognitive and motor functions that are critical for surgical performance. Although its general physiological and neurocognitive effects are well documented, evidence regarding its impact on complex, high-precision tasks-such as surgical procedures-remains limited. In this study, nine neurosurgeons performed a series of standardized surgical tasks assessing fine motor skills, gross motor control, and hand-eye coordination under three conditions: sober, acutely influenced (blood alcohol concentration [BAC] ~ 1.0 g/kg), and during the elimination phase several hours after alcohol consumption (BAC ~ 0.6 g/kg), with blood samples collected in each condition for BAC determination in accordance with German forensic standards. Across all nine participants, a total of 189 tests were conducted and evaluated, taking into account both the time required to complete each task and the quality of task performance. Task quality declined in both the acutely influenced and elimination phases. Significant impairments in quality were observed in almost all tasks. During acute influence, tasks such as suturing took longer to complete, whereas others like drilling were performed more quickly. In the elimination phase, all tasks were completed faster than at baseline. These findings suggest that even moderate alcohol intake can have lasting effects on surgical precision and may have implications for patient safety in operative settings. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Alcohol; Blood alcohol concentration; Coordination; Impairment; Neurosurgery |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Blood Alcohol Content) 3K9958V90M (Ethanol) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260616 Date Completed: 20260616 Latest Revision: 20260726 |
| Update Code: | 20260726 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13272685 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-026-58320-5 |
| PMID: | 42304097 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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