chemo-brain

Growing research shows how two of the major cancer treatments, radiation and chemotherapy, can lead to long-term cognitive impairment

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Mind jum­ble: Under­stand­ing chemo brain (Stan­ford Medicine):

Sarah Liu was treat­ed for leukemia as a teenag­er. She attend­ed her high school grad­u­a­tion on a four-hour pass from Lucile Packard Children’s Hos­pi­tal Stan­ford and was bald under her white grad­u­a­tion cap, her arm ban­daged where she’d been receiv­ing chemother­a­py drugs.

Liu sur­vived can­cer and the ordeal of her treat­ment, and for many years she thrived. But today, at 53, she strug­gles to remem­ber the names of all the Stan­ford oncol­o­gists who helped her, though she reveres them for sav­ing her life. Many years lat­er, her child­hood can­cer treat­ments — chemother­a­py and radi­a­tion — have left her brain muddled…She’s among the legions of can­cer sur­vivors suf­fer­ing from chemo brain, a neu­ro­log­i­cal dis­or­der for­mal­ly known as chemother­a­py-relat­ed cog­ni­tive impairment…

[Read more…] about Grow­ing research shows how two of the major can­cer treat­ments, radi­a­tion and chemother­a­py, can lead to long-term cog­ni­tive impairment

First, do no harm? Study finds association between androgen deprivation therapy and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease

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prostate_cancer_therapyPros­trate Can­cer Treat­ment Tied To Alzheimer’s Risk (New York Times):

“Hor­mone ther­a­py, a com­mon treat­ment for prostate can­cer, is asso­ci­at­ed with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s dis­ease, a new study has found…Overall, those treat­ed with hor­mone ther­a­py had an 88 per­cent increased risk of Alzheimer’s com­pared with oth­er patients. The longer [Read more…] about First, do no harm? Study finds asso­ci­a­tion between andro­gen depri­va­tion ther­a­py and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Update: To succeed at school, children with ADHD need both medication and non-medication treatments

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telehealth_adhd.

Time for Sharp­Brains’ March e‑newsletter, wrap­ping up this mon­th’s key neu­ro­science stud­ies, neu­rotech­nol­ogy news and brain fit­ness insights.

Upcoming events

New research

New tools

 

Enjoy the spring!

Next: Tools to detect and treat “chemo brain” symptoms common in around 35% of breast cancer survivors

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fog brainUCLA study reveals treat­ment for women with breast can­cer suf­fer­ing cog­ni­tive dif­fi­cul­ties (Health­Canal):

“UCLA researchers have devel­oped a pro­gram that could improve the day-to-day lives of women with breast can­cer by address­ing post-treat­ment cog­ni­tive dif­fi­cul­ties, some­times known as “chemo brain,” which can affect up to 35 per­cent of women after their treat­ments [Read more…] about Next: Tools to detect and treat “chemo brain” symp­toms com­mon in around 35% of breast can­cer survivors

Finally, growing awareness of chemotherapy-induced cognitive deficits

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fog brainBrain activ­i­ty changes seen after chemo (Reuters):

“For some women with breast can­cer, changes in brain activ­i­ty while mul­ti­task­ing could explain “chemo brain” – reduced men­tal func­tion­ing that many expe­ri­ence after chemother­a­py, Bel­gian researchers say. “Cog­ni­tive com­plaints of peo­ple increase with chemother­a­py and [Read more…] about Final­ly, grow­ing aware­ness of chemother­a­py-induced cog­ni­tive deficits

Measuring and treating Chemo Brain

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‘Chemo Brain’ After Breast Can­cer Backed by Study (US News):

“Breast can­cer patients treat­ed with chemother­a­py are at risk for mild men­tal deficits known col­lec­tive­ly as “chemo brain,” a new study finds. Researchers at the Mof­fitt Can­cer Cen­ter in Tam­pa, Fla., reviewed exist­ing research on brain func­tion (“cog­ni­tive” func­tion­ing) in [Read more…] about Mea­sur­ing and treat­ing Chemo Brain