The Neurosurgeon as a High-Performance Athlete: Parallels and Lessons Learned from Sports Psychology. 

 -  2018 
<br/><br/> BACKGROUND: Top performing neurosurgeons and elite athletes require years of sacrifice, discipline, and dedication to their art to be finely attuned to their physical abilities and limitations, and a singular mental focus to reach their full potential under moments of pressure.  CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining peak performance for a neurosurgeon may prove to be more challenging than that of the elite athlete.  Copyright (c) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.  METHODS: We outline strategies and techniques commonly used by high-performance athletes and how they may be applied to neurosurgery to achieve the highest possible surgeon preparation, patient outcomes, and career longevity.  RESULTS: Further investigation and integration of well-established cognitive psychology applications to surgical performance is needed. These principles are broad-reaching and may be applied to the training of our residents, our own daily routine, and as a life philosophy to enhance the longevity of our careers. 
<br/><br/><br/>English 
<br/><br/><label>ISSN: </label>1878-8750 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>*Athletes/px [Psychology]<br/>*Imagination<br/>*Neurosurgeons/px [Psychology]<br/>*Optimism<br/>*Physical Endurance<br/>*Psychology, Sports<br/>*Psychomotor Performance<br/>Cognition<br/>Diet<br/>Efficiency<br/>Humans<br/>Mindfulness<br/>Self-Assessment<br/>Sleep
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Geographic Terms: </label><br/>MedStar Washington Hospital Center
<br/><br/><label>Index Terms--Occupation: </label><br/>Radiology
<br/><br/><label>Index Terms--Function: </label><br/>Journal Article