Schürch, Kirstin; Grieder, Matthias; Benzing, Valentin; Siegwart, Valerie; Federspiel, Andrea; Slavova, Nedelina; Kiefer, Claus; Roessler, Jochen; Everts, Regula (2024). Cerebral blood flow and structural connectivity after working memory or physical training in paediatric cancer survivors - Exploratory findings. (In Press). Neuropsychological rehabilitation, pp. 1-27. Taylor & Francis 10.1080/09602011.2024.2356294
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Cerebral_blood_flow_and_structural_connectivity_after_working_memory_or_physical_training_in_paediatric_cancer_survivors___Exploratory_findings.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works (CC-BY-NC-ND). Download (2MB) | Preview |
Paediatric cancer survivors often suffer from cognitive long-term difficulties. Consequently, strengthening cognition is of major clinical relevance. This study investigated cerebral changes in relation to cognition in non-brain tumour paediatric cancer survivors after working memory or physical training compared to a control group. Thirty-four children (≥one-year post-treatment) either underwent eight weeks of working memory training (n = 10), physical training (n = 11), or a waiting period (n = 13). Cognition and MRI, including arterial spin labelling and diffusion tensor imaging, were assessed at three time points (baseline, post-training, and three-month follow-up). Results show lower cerebral blood flow immediately after working memory training (z = -2.073, p = .038) and higher structural connectivity at the three-month follow-up (z = -2.240, p = .025). No cerebral changes occurred after physical training. Short-term changes in cerebral blood flow correlated with short-term changes in cognitive flexibility (r = -.667, p = .049), while long-term changes in structural connectivity correlated with long-term changes in working memory (r = .786, p = .021). Despite the caution given when interpreting data from small samples, this study suggests a link between working memory training and neurophysiological changes. Further research is needed to validate these findings.
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