Neurocognitive Dysfunction After Treatment for Pediatric Brain Tumors: Subtype-Specific Findings and Proposal for Brain Network-Informed Evaluations
Charlotte Sleurs1,2 · Paul Fletcher3,4 · Conor Mallucci5 · Shivaram Avula6 · Thankamma Ajithkumar71 Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands
2 Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
3 Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
4 Wellcome Trust MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
5 Department of Neurosurgery, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool L14 5AB, UK
6 Department of Radiology, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool L14 5AB, UK
7 Department of Oncology, Cambridge University Hospital NHS Trust, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
Abstract
The increasing number of long-term survivors of pediatric brain tumors requires us to incorporate the most recent knowledge derived from cognitive neuroscience into their oncological treatment. As the lesion itself, as well as each treatment, can cause specific neural damage, the long-term neurocognitive outcomes are highly complex and challenging to assess. The number of neurocognitive studies in this population grows exponentially worldwide, motivating modern neuroscience to provide guidance in follow-up before, during and after treatment. In this review, we provide an overview of structural and functional brain connectomes and their role in the neuropsychological outcomes of specific brain tumor types. Based on this information, we propose a theoretical neuroscientific framework to apply appropriate neuropsychological and imaging follow-up for future clinical care and rehabilitation trials.
Keywords
Connectome; Pediatric brain tumor; Neuroimaging; Neurocognition; Neuropsychological assessment
