Electroencephalographic Changes During General Anesthesia in Patients With a History of Chemotherapy

"Chemo-brain" is a term used to describe a collection of cognitive impairments that arise after chemotherapy and have been linked to neurophysiological changes that might increase sensitivity to anesthetics. Assessing the effect of these changes is very important for optimizing EEG-guided anesthesia in the chemotherapy-exposed subpopulation.In this work, the effects of chemotherapy on electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during general anesthesia (GA) were studied. A total of 31 patients were enrolled in the study: 15 with a history of chemotherapy and 16 controls. Their EEG signals were recorded during GA. Patients with prior chemotherapy exposure exhibited significantly lower EEG power in the alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (12-25 Hz) and gamma (25-40 Hz) frequency bands compared to the control group. These findings suggest that chemotherapy-exposed patients may require tailored anesthetic strategies to improve outcomes. This work highlights the need for additional research focused on studying the efficacy of standard EEG-guided anesthesia protocols for patients suffering from "chemobrain" and evaluating the need for treatment personalization.Clinical relevance- EEG-guided anesthesia relies on EEG frequency band powers. The reduced power in the alpha, beta, and gamma bands observed among chemotherapy-exposed patients suggests the need for personalized anesthetic management to prevent excessive doses and related complications.