• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Friday, October 3, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News

‘Chemobrain’: Post-traumatic stress affects cognitive function in cancer patients

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
May 4, 2017
in Science News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Subtle cognitive dysfunction and decline in breast cancer patients was largely independent of chemotherapy but associated with cancer-related post-traumatic stress in a German multisite study.

Many breast cancer patients report problems of cognitive functioning, and some are considerably burdened by them. These symptoms have mainly been attributed to neurotoxic effects of chemotherapy, as reflected in the colloquial term 'chemobrain'. Now a longitudinal study in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients from six institutions in the area of Munich, Germany, investigated the role of post-traumatic stress in the causation of cancer-related cognitive impairment. The project was funded by the Deutsche Krebshilfe and led by psychologist Kerstin Hermelink (Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, CCC LMU University Hospital of Munich). In the first year after diagnosis, breast cancer patients treated with and without chemotherapy showed minimal cognitive dysfunction and decline, which were associated with post-traumatic stress due to having cancer. "It is well-established that post-traumatic stress – not to be confused with everyday stresses – has disruptive effects on the brain," Hermelink says. "For many patients, being diagnosed with breast cancer is a traumatic experience. The hypothesis that cognitive dysfunction in breast cancer patients is caused by post-traumatic stress seemed therefore worth pursuing."

One-hundred sixty-six newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and 60 women who had undergone routine breast imaging with negative results participated in the Cognicares (Cognition in Breast Cancer Patients: The Impact of Cancer-Related Stress) study. In all participants, post-traumatic symptoms were assessed with a clinical interview, and cognitive function was evaluated with a battery of paper-and-pencil and computer-based neuropsychological tests three times over the course of one year.

In comparison with the control group, the patients showed minimal overall cognitive decline and demonstrated less accuracy on one of several tests of attention before the start of treatment and one year later. All these deficits were associated with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the effect of having breast cancer on attention lost statistical significance if the effect of post-traumatic stress was taken into account. In contrast, only patients who had received chemotherapy showed longer reaction times than other participants on a test of alertness at one year. The test required pressing a mouse button whenever a cross appeared on a monitor, and the results were unrelated to PTSD symptoms. "The difference in performance was minimal – 19 milliseconds, on average – and it may at least partly be due to peripheral neuropathy, damage to the nerves of the fingers caused by certain cytostatic agents," Hermelink explains.

The findings of the Cognicares study suggest that psychological factors may contribute more importantly to cancer-related cognitive impairment than neurotoxic effects of treatment. "The brain is not a computer that delivers the same level of performance no matter what. Its function and structure are in constant flux, as it reacts and adapts to our experiences and actions," Hermelink points out. "Indeed, it would be surprising if the psychological consequences and the life disruption brought about by having cancer were not impacting he brain and its functioning. Our study focused on the effects of post-traumatic stress. Further factors like insomnia, anxiety and depression, all of which are highly prevalent in breast cancer patients, and lack of cognitive training caused by prolonged sick leave may also affect cognitive function. The role of psychological factors, however, has rarely been investigated. In virtually all studies, they were only assessed with self-report screening questionnaires. Given the small effects we are concerned with, these measures are not precise enough." The Cognicares study provides some reassurance for breast cancer patients. Subtle cognitive impairment they may experience does not seem to be an inevitable neurotoxic side-effect of chemotherapy but a consequence of post-traumatic stress and possibly further treatable and modifiable factors.

###

Media Contact

Luise Dirscherl
[email protected]
049-892-180-3423

http://www.uni-muenchen.de

############

Story Source: Materials provided by Scienmag

Share12Tweet7Share2ShareShareShare1

Related Posts

Untreated Depression Worsens Surgical Outcomes in Cancer Patients, Study Finds

October 3, 2025

LEMD3 Shapes 3D Chromatin to Preserve Vascular Identity

October 3, 2025

Keck Medicine of USC Enhances Access to Premier Healthcare Services in Pasadena

October 3, 2025

Exploring AI’s Role in Investment Funds: A Review

October 3, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    92 shares
    Share 37 Tweet 23
  • New Study Indicates Children’s Risk of Long COVID Could Double Following a Second Infection – The Lancet Infectious Diseases

    87 shares
    Share 35 Tweet 22
  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    75 shares
    Share 30 Tweet 19
  • New Insights Suggest ALS May Be an Autoimmune Disease

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Untreated Depression Worsens Surgical Outcomes in Cancer Patients, Study Finds

LEMD3 Shapes 3D Chromatin to Preserve Vascular Identity

Keck Medicine of USC Enhances Access to Premier Healthcare Services in Pasadena

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 61 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.