"chemo brain" -- chronic difficulties with
concentration, multitasking, and particularly
short-term memory after taking anti-cancer
therapies. [2,3]

A study from UCLA shows that chemotherapy
causes changes to the brain's metabolism and
blood flow even 10 years after treatment. This
finding explains why people receiving
chemotherapy often can't focus, remember things
or multitask the way they did before chemotherapy.
[1]

In a study of 21 women with breast cancer,
researchers scanned their brains using positron
emission tomography (PET) 5-10 years after
surgery. Among these patients, 16 of them had
been treated with chemotherapy (e.g. tamoxifen) to
reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. Researchers
also compared the scans with 13 control subjects
did not have breast cancer or chemotherapy during
the period of time. Researchers asked the women
to perform a series of short-term memory
exercises and measured the blood flow to their
brains at the same time, they also scanned the
patients' resting brain metabolism (how the brain
uses sugar to make energy) after the exercises.
[1-3]

The researchers found a link between
chemo-brain symptoms and lower metabolism in
a key region of the frontal cortex. They also found
that the lower the patient's resting brain
metabolism rate was, the more difficulty she had
performing the test. These women's brains were
working harder than the control subjects' to recall
the same information. [1-3]

One interesting observation is that women who
underwent hormonal therapy in addition to
chemotherapy displayed changes to their basal
ganglia, a part of the brain that works to bridge
thought and action. On average, these women
showed an 8 percent drop in resting metabolism
in this brain region. [1-3]

Chemo-brain symptoms should be considered as
long-term side effects of chemotherapy. It is not
clear whether chemotherapy treatments for other
diseases cause similar effects. [2]

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ZHION 2008 DO NOT COPY THIS
ARTICLE TO OTHER BLOG(S) NOR WEBSITE(S).

1 Scientists find chemo brain no figment of the
imagination Innovation Report 9 10 2006 2 Images
confirm what patients know Chemo can hurt the
brain Boston Globe October 9 2006 3 Chemo
makes brain work harder BBC News October 9
2006
How does cancer drug
affect our brain?
updated on April 19 2007
THIS WEBSITE TALKS ABOUT THE SIDE EFFECTS AND THE POTENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF HERBS, SUPPLEMENTS,
PHYTONUTRIENTS AND DRUG PRODUCTS. THIS WEBSITE ALSO TALKS ABOUT SOME POPULAR HEALTH ISSUES AND DISEASES.
ARTICLES IN THIS WEB SITE IS FOR YOUR REFERENCE ONLY. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION, YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH YOUR
DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2008. DO NOT COPY NOR TRANSFER ARTICLES TO OTHER WEBSITES NOR OTHER
FORMS OF PUBLICATIONS. Privacy Policy. ARTICLE INDEX/ Science