Changes on Cognition and Brain Network Temporal Variability After Pediatric Neurosurgery
Xueyi Guan1,2, Bohan Hu1, Wenjian Zheng3
1Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing , China.
Insights
Children show cognitive recovery and brain network self-repair 3 months after neurosurgery for intracranial lesions. Temporal variability analysis reveals improvements in visual and sensorimotor networks, aiding rehabilitation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Cognitive Rehabilitation
Background:
- Pediatric intracranial space-occupying lesions require attention to long-term cognitive function and brain network changes post-surgery.
- Temporal variability (TV) analysis offers insights into resting-state brain activity and rehabilitation potential.
- Limited research exists on neurosurgery's isolated effect on pediatric brain network self-repair.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cognitive function and brain network alterations in children following neurosurgery for intracranial space-occupying lesions.
- To explore the self-repair capacity of brain networks and cognitive functions in pediatric neurosurgery patients.
- To utilize Temporal Variability (TV) analysis to assess postoperative changes.
Main Methods:
- Studied 35 children with intracranial space-occupying lesions.
- Performed pre- and postsurgery Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and cognitive tests.
- Applied TV analysis to brain networks and correlated imaging indicators with cognitive performance.
Main Results:
- Cognitive recovery observed around 3 months postsurgery, particularly in social cognition and nonverbal reasoning.
- TV analysis revealed increased nodal variability in visual and sensorimotor networks.
- Alterations in occipital regions correlated with improvements in social cognition and nonverbal reasoning.
Conclusions:
- Significant intrinsic repair of cognitive functions and brain networks occurs approximately 3 months postneurosurgery in children.
- Findings enhance understanding of postoperative cognitive and brain network self-repair in pediatric patients.
- Identified potential therapeutic targets for rehabilitation and a foundation for proactive surgical strategies.
Background And Objectives:
Pediatric intracranial space-occupying lesions are common, with prognoses improving markedly in recent years, significantly extending survival. As such, there is an imperative to pay increased attention to the postoperative cognitive functions and brain network alterations in these children because these factors significantly influence their quality of life. Temporal variability (TV) analysis of brain networks captures the full extent of resting-state activities, reflecting cognitive functions and rehabilitation potential. However, previous research rarely uses TV analyses and most focus on adults or children after multidisciplinary treatments, not reflecting the combined effect caused by neurosurgery only and self-repair. This study gives our insights into this field from a holistic perspective.
Methods:
We studied 35 children with intracranial space-occupying lesions, analyzing pre- and postsurgery MRI and cognitive tests. We used TV analysis to assess changes and correlated imaging indicators with cognitive performance.
Results:
We observed a tendency for cognitive recovery after about 3 months postsurgery, primarily in the domains of social cognition and nonverbal reasoning. TV analysis of brain networks indicated increased nodal variability within systems such as the visual and sensorimotor networks, which are integral to external interactions. Correlative analysis showed that alterations in certain occipital regions were associated with changes in social cognition and nonverbal reasoning.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest significant intrinsic repair in cognitive functions and brain networks at around 3 months postneurosurgery in children. This study not only enriches our comprehension of postoperative cognitive and brain network self-repair processes in children but also furnishes potential therapeutic targets for rehabilitation interventions and establishes a theoretical foundation for proactive surgical interventions.
