Effects of breast cancer treatment on neural noise: A longitudinal design Journal Article


Authors: Melara, R. D.; Root, J. C.; Edelman, J. A.; Estelle, M. C.; Mohr, I.; Ahles, T. A.
Article Title: Effects of breast cancer treatment on neural noise: A longitudinal design
Abstract: Objective Cognitive dysfunction has been observed consistently in a subset of breast cancer survivors. Yet the precise neurophysiological origins of cancer-related cognitive decline remain unknown. The current study assessed neural noise (1/f activity in electroencephalogram [EEG]) in breast cancer survivors as a potential contributor to observed cognitive dysfunction from pre- to post-treatment.Methods We measured EEG in a longitudinal design during performance of the paired-click task and the revised Attention Network Test (ANT-R) to investigate pre- versus post-treatment effects of neural noise in breast cancer patients (n = 20 in paired click; n = 19 in ANT-R) compared with healthy controls (n = 32 in paired click; n = 29 in ANT-R).Results In both paradigms, one sensory (paired click) and one cognitive (ANT-R), we found that neural noise was significantly elevated after treatment in patients, remaining constant from pretest to posttest in controls. In the ANT-R, patients responded more slowly than controls on invalid cuing trials. Increased neural noise was associated with poorer alerting and poorer inhibitory control of attention (as measured by behavioral network scores), particularly for patients after treatment.Conclusions The current study is the first to show a deleterious effect of breast cancer and/or cancer treatment on neural noise, pointing to alterations in the relative balance of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs, while also suggesting promising approaches for cognitive rehabilitation.
Keywords: breast cancer; survivors; validation; women; activation; asymmetry; cognitive dysfunction; eeg; longitudinal; sequelae; executive function; response-inhibition; neural noise; inhibitory control; dose adjuvant chemotherapy
Journal Title: Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
Volume: 40
Issue: 1
ISSN: 0887-6177
Publisher: Oxford University Press  
Date Published: 2025-02-01
Start Page: 52
End Page: 62
Language: English
ACCESSION: WOS:001299318900001
DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acae066
PROVIDER: wos
PUBMED: 39197121
PMCID: PMC12032606
Notes: Source: Wos
Altmetric
Citation Impact
BMJ Impact Analytics
MSK Authors
  1. Tim A Ahles
    182 Ahles
  2. James Charles Root
    113 Root
  3. Isabella Sophia Mohr
    1 Mohr