Functional Alteration in the Brain Due to Tumour Invasion in Paediatric Patients: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Working memory, language and speech abilities, motor skills, and visual abilities are often impaired in children with brain tumours. This is because tumours can invade the brain’s functional areas and cause alterations to the neuronal networks. However, it is unclear what the mechanism of tumour invasion is and how various treatments can cause cognitive impairment. Therefore, this study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of tumour invasion on the cognitive, language, motor, and visual abilities of paediatric patients, as well as discuss the alterations and modifications in neuronal networks and anatomy. The electronic database, PubMed, was used to find relevant studies. The studies were systematically reviewed based on the type and location of brain tumours, cognitive assessment, and pre- and post-operative deficits experienced by patients. Sixteen studies were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria following the guidelines from PRISMA. Most studies agree that tumour invasion in the brain causes cognitive dysfunction and alteration in patients. The effects of a tumour on cognition, language, motor, and visual abilities depend on the type of tumour and its location in the brain. The alteration to the neuronal networks is also dependent on the type and location of the tumour. However, the default mode network (DMN) is the most affected network, regardless of the tumour type and location.Furthermore, our findings suggest that different treatment types can also contribute to patients’ cognitive function to improve or deteriorate. Deficits that persisted or were acquired after surgery could result from surgical manipulation or the progression of the tumour’s growth. Meanwhile, recovery from the deficits indicated that the brain has the ability to recover and reorganise itself.

Relationship between carotid intima-media thickness and white matter hyperintensities in non-stroke adults: a systematic review

“…A systematic review of the literature was conducted to examine the association between CIMT and WMH in asymptomatic adults showing no signs or history of stroke. In accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) ( Liberati, 2009 ) and previous study guidelines ( Manan et al, 2020 ; Voon et al, 2021 ; Yap et al, 2022 ; Sahrizan et al, 2023 ; Yahya and Manan, 2023 ), two researchers independently conducted an extensive search on PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases supplemented by a manual search of the included articles’ reference lists. The search was restricted to the English language and included only original research articles published in the last decade (February 2014–January 2024).…”

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“…A systematic review of the literature was conducted to examine the association between CIMT and WMH in asymptomatic adults showing no signs or history of stroke. In accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) (Liberati, 2009) and previous study guidelines (Manan et al, 2020;Voon et al, 2021;Yap et al, 2022;Sahrizan et al, 2023;Yahya and Manan, 2023), two researchers independently conducted an extensive search on PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases supplemented by a manual search of the included articles' reference lists. The search was restricted to the English language and included only original research articles published in the last decade (February 2014-January 2024).…”