Is it possible to reverse 'chemo brain?'
09 December, 2018
Chemotherapy can affect a person's brain for years after coming to an end. How does it actually change the brain, and is there anything that scientists can do to reverse these effects?
Many people who undergo chemotherapy will notice cognitive impairment and behavioral changes. This might include difficulty with movement.
Some people refer to this effect as "chemo brain."
It can last for months or years, impacting people's quality of life following cancer treatment.
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California recently conducted a study to find out exactly how and why chemotherapy agents affect the brain, and to see whether or not there is any way to block or reverse that effect.
The results — which appear in the journal Cell — appear to indicate that methotrexate, a common chemotherapy drug, affects the normal functioning of three important types of cell present in the brain's white matter.
Chemo brain's impact
The scientists also report learning that a drug currently undergoing clinical trials for other uses can address these ill effects in a mouse model.
"It's wonderful that [people who have undergone chemotherapy are] alive, but their quality of life is really suffering," claims lead study author Erin Gibson. "If we can do anything to improve that, there is a huge population that could benefit," she notes.
"Cognitive dysfunction after cancer therapy," explains senior study author Dr. Michelle Monje, "is a real and recognized syndrome."
"In addition to existing symptomatic therapies — which many patients don't know about — we are now homing in on potential interventions to promote normalization of the disorders induced by cancer drugs."
-Dr. Michelle Monje
"There [is] real hope that we can intervene, induce regeneration, and prevent damage in the brain," she adds.
Specifically, chemo brain tends to severely affect children who have undergone cancer treatment. Dr. Monje and team believe that finding a way to address this problem could truly improve these children's lives.
TAG(s):