Chemo Brain: Resesarch

The most important piece of research about chemo brain is "Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Impairment (CRCI): Neuroimaging, Neuropsychological Testing, and the Neuropsychologist" by Jamie S. Meyers. This is a report on many studies that show the different cognitive functions impaired by chemotherapy. “(CRCI) occurs in 17%- 75% of patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer,” (Wefel, Lenzi, Theriault, Davis, & Meyers, 2004).

Jensen, Miaskowski, Dodd, Dowdling, and Kramer found that chemotherapy compromises almost all brain functions. “The specific domains of cognitive include executive function, information-processing, speed, language, motor function, spatial skills, learning and memory.” This compilation of studies also included which parts of the brain were negatively affected by chemotherapy. “Only 2 of 13 patients did not exhibit changes in white matter... ‘high-dose chemotherapy-induced white matter changes reflects changes in the free and bound water fraction as a result of chemotherapy.’ The cancer survivors were shown to have local bilateral reduction of neocortical gray matters as well as white matter in several regions. No such reduction was observed in the control group.”

Another article called New Research Sheds Light on “Chemobrain,” talks of a Japanese study that used magnetic resonance imaging to show shrinkage in brain structures. This study showed that chemotherapy patients had less white matter, information-transmitting cells, and gray matter, information-processing cells, in regions of the brain involving attention, planning, judging, remembering, and self-awareness. This then correlated with lower scores on measures of attention, concentration, and visual memory.