Evidence of change in brain activity among childhood cancer survivors participating in a cognitive remediation program.
Increased understanding of the underlying mechanisms of cognitive remediation is needed to facilitate development of intervention strategies for childhood cancer survivors experiencing cognitive late effects. Accordingly, a pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was conducted with 14 cancer survivors (12.02 ± 0.09 years old), who participated in a cognitive remediation clinical trial, and 28 healthy children (12.7 ± 0.6 years old). The ventral visual areas, cerebellum, supplementary motor area, and left inferior frontal cortex were significantly activated in the healthy participants during a continuous performance task. In survivors, brain activation in these regions was diminished at baseline, and increased upon completion of remediation and at a 6-month follow-up. The fMRI activation index for each region of interest was inversely associated with the Conners' Clinical Competence Index (p<.01). The pilot study suggests that fMRI is useful in evaluating neural responses to cognitive remediation.
Department of Radiological Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.
Ping
P
Zou
Yimei
Y
Li
Heather M
HM
Conklin
Raymond K
RK
Mulhern
Robert W
RW
Butler
Robert J
RJ
Ogg
D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*