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Review
. 2012 Feb 14;227(2):376-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.05.012. Epub 2011 May 23.

Cognitive side effects of cancer therapy demonstrate a functional role for adult neurogenesis

Michelle Monje  1 , Jörg Dietrich
Affiliations
Review

Cognitive side effects of cancer therapy demonstrate a functional role for adult neurogenesis

Michelle Monje et al. Behav Brain Res. .

Abstract

Cancer therapies frequently result in a spectrum of neurocognitive deficits that include impaired learning, memory, attention and speed of information processing. Damage to dynamic neural progenitor cell populations in the brain are emerging as important etiologic factors. Radiation and chemotherapy-induced damage to neural progenitor populations responsible for adult hippocampal neurogenesis and for maintenance of subcortical white matter integrity are now believed to play major roles in the neurocognitive impairment many cancer survivors experience.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest – The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Neural precursor populations in the postnatal brain
Coronal section of brain (at the level indicated by the schematic in the upper). Postnatal neural precursor populations of the forebrain include hippocampal stem and progenitor cells (black dots), subventricular zone stem and progenitor cells (green dots) and white matter oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (red dots). Neuroanatomical localization of cognitive functions affected by cancer therapy are described on the left half of the figure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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