Some thoughts on this so-called chemo-brain. Is it a myth? My original belief was that there was little empirical evidence to support it.
Guess that's changed.
Japanese researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to show that cancer drugs can cause temporary shrinkage in brain structures involved in cognition and awareness (Cancer, Jan. 1, 2007). The brain imaging was performed on three groups of women: breast cancer survivors who had received chemotherapy, breast cancer survivors who had not undergone chemotherapy, and a healthy control group. Compared to the other women, the chemotherapy recipients had less white matter (information-transmitting cells) and gray matter (information-processing cells) in regions of the brain involved in attention, planning, judgment, remembering, and self-awareness. Shrinkage in these areas correlated with generally lower scores on measures of attention, concentration, and visual memory.In addition, scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center Medical Center, found that one of the cancer drugs that I'm taking, cisplatin, is more toxic to healthy brain cells than to cancer cells (Journal of Biology, Nov. 30, 2006) — at least in laboratory cell cultures:
In the lab setting, these drugs killed 70%–100% of brain cells — but only 40%–80% of cancer cells. Animal studies showed that such effects lasted for at least six weeks after treatment. The drugs harmed various types of cells, including neurons that contribute to signal transmission in the brain.
The University of Rochester team speculates that these cancer drugs may block new cell formation in the hippocampus, a brain structure essential to memory and learning. The researchers stress that no one should avoid chemotherapy because of these preliminary results. But they suggest that their findings offer a physiological explanation for chemobrain and could eventually lead to ways of protecting the brain during chemotherapy.
D'uh. So, next time I leave my xbox 360 in the refrigerator, you'll know why! (Unless I'm trying to resolve heating issues, that is). Anyhow, perhaps it would be fun to do a study of my own... Maybe Barbara can play me chess a bunch while I'm in the hospital and benchmark my chess-playing ability. :P
::mumble mumble:: stupiddroolalwaysgettingonmyspacebar.
4 comments:
Austin: I agree; Google is doing you proud. I have alerts set for "chemobrain", caught your blog today, and have found myself fascinated by your sense of humor (and your story, too.) I actually put my Sneakers in the refrigerator after chemo; not my xbox 360--do you think the cold would be a cure for that little red circle? :)
Welcome, Cate! Glad you dropped in -- you're welcome to put your feet up!
[Geek]
As it happens, putting the xbox 360 in the fridge might not be such a bad idea. The 3-ring-of-death is mainly due to defective thermal compound on the video heatsink. Cool the system down, and you might get a few hours additional runtime. But, the best bet is to just send the thing back to Microsoft :P
[/Geek]
It's not as outlandish, I know, but I have an affinity for putting cereal and keys in the fridge. :P
All I can say is thank God for the "temporary" part of the shrinkage you mention. Aging by itself is not a friend of brain cells.
Love
Tante Theresa
That game of chess we played Thursday night did NOT show any decrease in your cognitive ability Austin. I opened "1. d4" and it went to Queen's Gambit Declined. I felt like I was playing pretty well for once, launching a fierce corner attack against your king and rook, but you saw the one way to destroy the attack, and pinned my queen and took the game. What does that make it, about 12 in a row for you? The nice thing about playing chess with one of your children is you can't lose. If I win, I'm pleased, but if you win, I'm proud.
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