[suzierose]

Chemo brain is real

by suzierose on Thu Jan 12, 2012 5:35 am

"The researchers used high-resolution brain magnetic resonance imaging to look at the distribution of gray and white brain matter regions in women who received chemotherapy after surgery and women who did not receive chemotherapy, with a set of healthy controls for comparison.

Fifty-one women who received chemotherapy were scanned in the first year after surgery, and 73 women were scanned 3 years after their surgery; 55 women who didn't receive chemotherapy were scanned in the first year after surgery, and 59 were scanned 3 years after surgery. The women received Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised testing for cognitive indices including attention, concentration, and visual memory.

The researchers found that in the first year of chemotherapy treatment, women had smaller right-prefrontal brain regions and smaller parahippocampal gyri - regions that are associated with memory - than women who didn't receive chemotherapy, and these changes correlated with decreased cognitive function. Other areas with similar shrinkage, also associated with memory, included the superior and middle-frontal gyri, the cingulated gyrus, and the precuneus.

By contrast, these structural differences were not seen in the group that was analyzed 3 years after surgery and chemotherapy, leading the authors to suggest "that the brain volume change related to adjuvant chemotherapy may well recover over the course of time." They noted that while other studies have shown cognitive effects lasting longer than 3 years, these studies have also demonstrated eventual cognitive recovery."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22184379

http://www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/ncicancerbulletin/archive/2006/120506/page4

[Nancy Shamanna]

Re: Chemo brain is real

by Nancy Shamanna on Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:49 am

OMG...I totally can relate to that survey. Nice to see that patients were able to recover from 'chemo brain' too. If you use the analogy of one's brain being a computer, I felt like I had had the 'hard drive' wiped clean! Literally had to 're-boot' it... for the most part my memory has come back (or maybe people around me are just humouring me??)

[NStewart]

Re: Chemo brain is real

by NStewart on Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:51 pm

During the first year after my ASCT I didn't have the ability to concentrate enough to do any professional reading or research in my field. Slowly things have been improving and now can do both, but with a lot of attention to stay on task. I still get brain freezes with some word finding difficulties on occasion, but is that chemo related or age related? I doubt that I will ever know. I'm just glad that I have most of my cognitive abilities back to normal. I will celebrate my 2 year anniversary since transplant on Jan 28 and am doing well.

[Stann]

Re: Chemo brain is real

by Stann on Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:18 pm

Hi Nancy,

I've been wondering the same thing regarding mental and physical changes. Is it age? Is it myeloma?

I wonder if the study accounted for higher rates of inactivity of those patients that have had chemo. Would a patient who took chemo and remained active, not have chemo brain?

I also wonder if that study accounted for use of pain killers?

Stan

[greg matthews]

Re: Chemo brain is real

by greg matthews on Sat Jan 21, 2012 10:13 pm

Stan,

To your question, I am very active, and, yes, I did get what they call chemo brain and am at times still affected with it. I assume it is based on my maintenance medication. It has subsided some since it is only 5 mg now. I am hoping to see a big reduction since i stopped. Time will tell.