Cognitive Control in Pediatric Cancer Survivors: A task-fMRI study

Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment is a well-documented concern among cancer survivors, yet the neural mechanisms underlying deficits in cognitive control remain poorly understood. This study examined group differences in brain activation during a flanker task using functional MRI (fMRI) between chemotherapy-exposed participants and healthy controls.

Participants (21 survivors (24.9 years old; 71.4 % female; 15 years from diagnosis) and 21 healthy controls (26.7 years old; 61.9 % female) completed a flanker task during fMRI, with congruent and incongruent conditions. Reaction time, accuracy, and Flanker scores were collected. Whole-brain group comparisons were performed for congruent, incongruent, and incongruent > congruent contrasts. Associations between the incongruent > congruent contrast and cognitive performance were examined.

Compared to controls, the Chemo group had longer reaction times in both congruent and incongruent conditions (p < .001) and lower NIH Flanker scores (p = .01), with no differences in accuracy. They showed reduced activation in the bilateral inferior frontal gyri, supplementary motor area, and bilateral caudate, but greater activation in the right inferior temporal and cerebellar regions. The incongruent > congruent contrast correlated with increased activation in the orbitofrontal cortex, inferior temporal gyri, and fusiform gyrus with cognitive performance.

Chemotherapy-exposed participants showed cognitive control deficits and altered neural activation during a flanker task, indicating disrupted recruitment of frontoparietal and subcortical regions key for conflict processing. These findings improve understanding of neural causes of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment and may help identify at-risk survivors and guide personalized rehabilitation.