Journal article
Sex-Based Differences in Functional Brain Activity During Working Memory in Survivors of Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
JNCI cancer spectrum, Vol.6(2), pkac026
03/02/2022
DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pkac026
PMCID: PMC9041337
PMID: 35603857
Abstract
Background: Long-term survivors of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia are at elevated risk for neurocognitive deficits and corresponding brain dysfunction. This study examined sex-based differences in functional neuroimaging outcomes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors treated with chemotherapy alone. Methods: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neurocognitive testing were obtained in 123 survivors (46% male; median [min-max] age = 14.2 years [8.3-26.5 years]; time since diagnosis = 7.7 years [5.1-12.5 years]) treated on the St. Jude Total XV treatment protocol. Participants performed the n-back working memory task in a 3 T scanner. Functional neuroimaging data were processed (realigned, slice time corrected, normalized, smoothed) and analyzed using statistical parametric mapping with contrasts for 1-back and 2-back conditions, which reflect varying degrees of working memory and task load. Group-level fMRI contrasts were stratified by sex and adjusted for age and methotrexate exposure. Statistical tests were 2-sided (P < .05 statistical significance threshold). Results: Relative to males, female survivors exhibited less activation (ie, reduced blood oxygen dependent-level signals) in the right parietal operculum, supramarginal gyrus and inferior occipital gyms, and bilateral superior frontal medial gyrus during increased working memory load (family-wise error-corrected P = .004 to .008, adjusting for age and methotrexate dose). Female survivors were slower to correctly respond to the 2-back condition than males (P < .05), though there were no differences in overall accuracy. Performance accuracy was negatively correlated with fMRI activity in female survivors (Pearson's r = -0.39 to -0.29, P = .001 to .02), but not in males. Conclusions: These results suggest the working memory network is more impaired in female survivors than male survivors, which may contribute to ongoing functional deficits.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Sex-Based Differences in Functional Brain Activity During Working Memory in Survivors of Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
- Creators
- Kellen Gandy - St. Jude Children's Research HospitalMatthew A. Scoggins - St. Jude Children's Research HospitalNicholas Phillips - St. Jude Children's Research HospitalEllen van der Plas - University of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicsSlim Fellah - Washington University in St. LouisLisa M. Jacola - St. Jude Children's Research HospitalChing-Hon Pui - St. Jude Children's Research HospitalMelissa M. Hudson - St. Jude Children's Research HospitalWilburn E. Reddick - St. Jude Children's Research HospitalRanganatha Sitaram - St. Jude Children's Research HospitalKevin R. Krull - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- JNCI cancer spectrum, Vol.6(2), pkac026
- DOI
- 10.1093/jncics/pkac026
- PMID
- 35603857
- PMCID
- PMC9041337
- NLM abbreviation
- JNCI Cancer Spectr
- ISSN
- 2515-5091
- eISSN
- 2515-5091
- Publisher
- Oxford Univ Press
- Number of pages
- 7
- Grant note
- American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) MH085849 / National Institute of Mental Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) CA195547; CA021765 / National Cancer Institute; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI) T32 CA225590 / National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health T32 Institutional Research Training Grant
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/02/2022
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry
- Record Identifier
- 9984281651502771
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