Protocol
On the first day (Day 1) participants completed their questionnaires, performed their baseline evaluation of the bead transfer and threading tasks on the laparoscopic skill analyser, completed their neurostimulation protocol, and performed 20 min of laparoscopic training in the box trainer. During test and training sessions, participants were accompanied in the room only by the research team. On days 2, 3 and 4, participants simply completed the neurostimulation protocol and performed 20 min of laparoscopic training in the box trainer. During this training, participants were given standardised instructions by experimenter DG to help them with completing the bead transfer and threading tasks and were asked to complete the bead transfer and threading tasks as many times as they could during the training session. 10 min of bead transfer training always preceded 10 min of threading task training. On Day 5, after completing the BRUMs and PSQI questionnaires a second time, they received the appropriate neurostimulation protocol and trained a final time for 20 min. Following this training session, participants performed their Post evaluation of the bead transfer and threading tasks on the laparoscopic skill analyser. Participants then returned to the lab 5 days later (Day 10) to complete a final Retention evaluation of their bead transfer and threading task performance on the laparoscopic skill analyser and were asked to report which stimulation group they thought they had been assigned (manipulation check) (see Fig. Illustration of the experimental protocol. Both bead transfer and threading tasks were completed for a maximum of 10 min each one after the other at Baseline, Post and Retention test evaluations on the laparoscopic skill analyser.