PURPOSE: To examine whether cognitive complaints after treatment for breast cancer are associated with detectable changes in brain activity during multitasking. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighteen patients who were scheduled to receive chemotherapy performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging multitasking task in the scanner before the start of treatment (t1) and 4 to 6 months after finishing treatment (t2). Sixteen patients who were not scheduled to receive chemotherapy and 17 matched healthy controls performed the same task at matched intervals. Task difficulty level was adjusted individually to match performance across participants. Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 (SPM8) software was used for within-group, between-group, and group-by-time interaction image analyses. RESULTS: Voxel-based paired t tests revealed significantly decreased activation (P < .05) from t1 to t2 at matched performance in the multitasking network of chemotherapy-treated patients, whereas no changes were noted in either of the control groups. At baseline, there were no differences between the groups. Furthermore, in contrast to controls, the chemotherapy-treated patients reported a significant increase in cognitive complaints (P < .05) at t2. Significant (P < .05) correlations were found between these increases and decreases in multitasking-related brain activation. Moreover, a significant group-by-time interaction (P < .05) was found whereby chemotherapy-treated patients showed decreased activation and healthy controls did not. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that changes in brain activity may underlie chemotherapy-induced cognitive complaints. The observed changes might be related to chemotherapy-induced damage to the brain or reduced connectivity between brain regions rather than to changes in effort or changes in functional strategy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study providing evidence for a relationship between longitudinal changes in cognitive complaints and changes in brain activation after chemotherapy.
PURPOSE: To examine whether cognitive complaints after treatment for breast cancer are associated with detectable changes in brain activity during multitasking. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighteen patients who were scheduled to receive chemotherapy performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging multitasking task in the scanner before the start of treatment (t1) and 4 to 6 months after finishing treatment (t2). Sixteen patients who were not scheduled to receive chemotherapy and 17 matched healthy controls performed the same task at matched intervals. Task difficulty level was adjusted individually to match performance across participants. Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 (SPM8) software was used for within-group, between-group, and group-by-time interaction image analyses. RESULTS: Voxel-based paired t tests revealed significantly decreased activation (P < .05) from t1 to t2 at matched performance in the multitasking network of chemotherapy-treated patients, whereas no changes were noted in either of the control groups. At baseline, there were no differences between the groups. Furthermore, in contrast to controls, the chemotherapy-treated patients reported a significant increase in cognitive complaints (P < .05) at t2. Significant (P < .05) correlations were found between these increases and decreases in multitasking-related brain activation. Moreover, a significant group-by-time interaction (P < .05) was found whereby chemotherapy-treated patients showed decreased activation and healthy controls did not. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that changes in brain activity may underlie chemotherapy-induced cognitive complaints. The observed changes might be related to chemotherapy-induced damage to the brain or reduced connectivity between brain regions rather than to changes in effort or changes in functional strategy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study providing evidence for a relationship between longitudinal changes in cognitive complaints and changes in brain activation after chemotherapy.
Authors: Alexandra M Gaynor; Denise Pergolizzi; Yesne Alici; Elizabeth Ryan; Katrazyna McNeal; Tim A Ahles; James C Root Journal: Brain Stimul Date: 2020-04-27 Impact factor: 8.955
Authors: M Lange; F Joly; J Vardy; T Ahles; M Dubois; L Tron; G Winocur; M B De Ruiter; H Castel Journal: Ann Oncol Date: 2019-12-01 Impact factor: 32.976
Authors: Heather S L Jim; Sarah L Jennewein; Gwendolyn P Quinn; Damon R Reed; Brent J Small Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2018-07-24 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: Mary K Askren; Misook Jung; Marc G Berman; Min Zhang; Barbara Therrien; Scott Peltier; Lynn Ossher; Daniel F Hayes; Patricia A Reuter-Lorenz; Bernadine Cimprich Journal: Breast Cancer Res Treat Date: 2014-08-21 Impact factor: 4.872
Authors: D D Correa; J C Root; M Kryza-Lacombe; M Mehta; S Karimi; M L Hensley; N Relkin Journal: Brain Imaging Behav Date: 2017-12 Impact factor: 3.978
Authors: Denise Pergolizzi; James C Root; Hong Pan; David Silbersweig; Emily Stern; Steven D Passik; Tim A Ahles Journal: Brain Imaging Behav Date: 2019-12 Impact factor: 3.978
Authors: Haijun Chen; Ke Ding; Jingjing Zhao; Herta H Chao; Chiang-Shan R Li; Huaidong Cheng Journal: Am J Cancer Res Date: 2019-08-01 Impact factor: 6.166