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Updated: Apr 21, 2026
Quantifying Cognitive Decrements Caused by Cranial Radiotherapy
Published on: October 18, 2011
Cognitive and brain structural changes in a lung cancer population.
Marta Simó1, James C Root, Lucía Vaquero
1*Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; †Neuro-Oncology Unit, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge-ICO Duran i Reynals, L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; ‡Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neurocognitive Research Laboratory, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; §Radiation Oncology Department, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, ICO Badalona, Barcelona, Spain; Departments of ‖Radiation Oncology and ¶Medical Oncology, Lung Cancer Unit, ICO Duran i Reynals, L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; #Department of Basic Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; and **Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, ICREA, Barcelona, Spain.
Lung cancer patients show cognitive impairment and brain structure changes, both before and after chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is linked to gray matter density reduction and white matter integrity decrease in specific brain regions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Oncology
- Radiology
Background:
- No prior studies have investigated structural brain changes linked to chemotherapy in lung cancer patients.
- This study addresses a gap in understanding the neurological impact of cancer treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare brain structure in small-cell lung cancer patients post-chemotherapy (C+), non-small-cell lung cancer patients pre-chemotherapy (C-), and healthy controls (HC).
- To identify specific structural brain differences associated with chemotherapy in lung cancer.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study comparing 28 C+ patients, 20 C- patients, and 20 HC.
- Neuropsychological assessment and structural MRI (T1-weighted, diffusion tensor imaging) were used.
- Gray matter density and white matter integrity were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Both C+ and C- groups showed cognitive impairment compared to HC.
- C+ patients had lower gray matter density in the insula, parahippocampal gyrus, and anterior cingulate cortex.
- Chemotherapy (C+) was associated with decreased white matter integrity in the cingulum and inferior longitudinal fasciculus; pre-chemotherapy (C-) showed more widespread white matter damage.
Conclusions:
- Lung cancer patients experience cognitive impairment before and after chemotherapy.
- Pre-treatment deficits include verbal memory and widespread white matter damage.
- Post-chemotherapy, patients exhibit impaired verbal fluency and visuospatial abilities, with gray matter and white matter alterations in paralimbic regions.
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