title: [Formula: see text]Working memory and attention in pediatric brain tumor patients treated with and without radiation therapy.
abstract: Children are at risk for cognitive difficulties following the diagnosis and treatment of a brain tumor. Longitudinal studies have consistently demonstrated declines on measures of intellectual functioning, and recently it has been proposed that specific neurocognitive processes underlie these changes, including working memory, processing speed, and attention. However, a fine-grained examination of the affected neurocognitive processes is required to inform intervention efforts. Radiation therapy (RT) impacts white matter integrity, likely affecting those cognitive processes supported by distributed neural networks. This study examined working memory and attention in children during the early delayed stages of recovery following surgical resection and RT. The participants included 27 children diagnosed with pediatric brain tumor, treated with (n = 12) or without (n = 15) RT, who completed experimental and standardized measures of working memory and attention (n-back and digit span tasks). Children treated with radiation performed less well than those who did not receive radiation on the n-back measure, though performance at the 0-back level was considerably poorer than would be expected for both groups, perhaps suggesting difficulties with more basic processes such as vigilance. Along these lines, marginal differences were noted on digit span forward. The findings are discussed with respect to models of attention and working memory, and the interplay between the two.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Raghubar
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: E Mark
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mahone
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Keith Owen
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Yeates
authors.affiliation: Cincinnati Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Kim M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Cecil
authors.affiliation: Cincinnati Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Monwabisi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makola
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: M Douglas
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: Attention; Brain tumor; Pediatric; Radiation therapy; Working memory