Relationships between Regional Radiation Doses and Cognitive Decline in Children Treated with Cranio-Spinal Irradiation for Posterior Fossa Tumors

Pediatric posterior fossa tumor (PFT) survivors who have been treated with cranial radiation therapy often suffer from cognitive impairments that might relate to IQ decline. Radiotherapy (RT) distinctly affects brain regions involved in different cognitive functions. However, the relative contribution of regional irradiation to the different cognitive impairments still remains unclear. We investigated the relationships between the changes in different cognitive scores and radiation dose distribution in 30 children treated for a PFT. Our exploratory analysis was based on a principal component analysis (PCA) and an ordinary least square regression approach. The use of a PCA was an innovative way to cluster correlated irradiated regions due to similar radiation therapy protocols across patients. Our results suggest an association between working memory decline and a high dose (equivalent uniform dose, EUD) delivered to the orbitofrontal regions, whereas the decline of processing speed seemed more related to EUD in the temporal lobes and posterior fossa. To identify regional effects of RT on cognitive functions may help to propose a rehabilitation program adapted to the risk of cognitive impairment

conceptions du temps chez des enfants atteints de tumeurs cérébrales

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Difficultés dans les conceptions temporelles après traitement des tumeurs cérébrales malignes

International audienceIn children treated for malignant cerebellar tumors (MCT), there are only a few studies investigating temporal skills, despite a generally admitted role of the cerebellum in time processing. Children’s Time Knowledge (TK) has been defined as the correct representation and use of familiar time units (Labrell, Mikaeloff, Perdry, & Dellatolas, 2016). The present study compares TK in 38 children treated for MCT (mean age 11.6 years) with 105 typically-developing children (TDC).Performances on all TK subtests were significantly lower in the MCT group. The results also confirmed lower mean IQ in children treated for MCT, related to slow processing speed and low performance on working memory and non-verbal tasks. However, low IQ did not explain theconsiderable difficulties in the acquisition of TK.These results are discussed in the light of the role of the cerebellum in time processing and two different models of temporal processing, the internal clock model (Allman, Teki, Griffiths, & Meck, 2014) and the neural network state model (Karmarkar & Buonomano, 2007)

Solution Structure of the N-terminal Domain of the Human TFIIH MAT1 Subunit

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MODELING ANTICANCER RELATED LATE EFFECT ON NEUROCOGNITION (MARLEN STUDY)

International audienceLong-term survivors of pediatric medulloblastoma present significantimpairments in specific cognitive functions. Our major objective was to create retrospectively amathematical model evaluating the contribution of key clinical factors as hydrocephalus, age, and sex at diagnosis and cranial irradiation to impaired neurocognitive performances and their dynamic interactions

Agenesis of corpus callosum: Prenatal diagnosis and prognosis

Introduction: Agenesis of corpus callosum (ACC) is commonly diagnosed prenatally. When isolated, it appears to carry a good prognosis but studies are often retrospective and follow-up short. We report a prospective study of 17 children (11 boys, 6 girls) with prenatally diagnosed isolated ACC. Methods: Neuropsychological evaluation was performed each year and results at the ages of 2, 4, and 6 years were compared. Results: Febrile seizures occurred in 3 patients. Median intellectual quotient (IQ) was within the normal range (80-109) and nonrelated to partial or complete ACC, sex, or febrile seizures. Lower median IQ was significantly related to low cultural status. With age, the number of children with IQ in the lower range (80-89) increased and slowness, attentional troubles, and instability appeared. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that if outcome of isolated ACC is favorable, a long follow-up is necessary: with age, IQ in the lower range and behavioral troubles are linked to difficulties in school.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Intellectual, educational, and situation-based social outcome in adult survivors of childhood medulloblastoma

International audiencePurpose: To investigate intellectual and situation-based social outcome and educational achievement in adult survivors of childhood medulloblastoma and analyse factors influencing outcomeMethods: We collected demographic, medical and cognitive data, and social and educational outcome at a mean time since the end of treatments of 14.9 years in 58 adults, aged 19–35 years, consecutively treated in a single cancer center between 1989 and 2005.Results: Ten survivors had severe intellectual disability, 12 were still studying, 23 had a regular employment and 13 were unemployed. Full Scale Intellectual Quotient, assessed 6.6 years after the end of treatments, ranged from 46 to 131. It was strongly associated with educational achievement and significantly lower in patients who experienced postoperative cerebellar mutism, and when parental education level was low.Conclusion: These factors should be systematically considered at diagnosis in order to offer adequate and timely assessments and interventions