Dynamics of specific cognitive functions in children with cerebellar tumors: A pilot longitudinal study

Context and relevance. Cognitive impairments in children with oncological cerebellar tumors represent an important clinical and research problem, since the specifics of their dynamics during different periods after treatment remain insufficiently studied. Within the study, particular attention was paid to how individual changes in cognitive functions correlate with the dynamics of indicators calculated with regard to age norms at the follow-up assessment of the children. Objective. To analyze the individual and age-normed dynamics of particular cognitive functions in children who had suffered a cerebellar tumor. Hypothesis. It was hypothesized that particular cognitive measures in children with cerebellar tumors change during the observation period. Methods and materials. The analysis included 23 patients aged 4.5 to 17 years who had suffered a cerebellar tumor and undergone its surgical resection. The CANTAB tests assessed reaction time (CRT), spatial working memory (SWM), spatial planning (SOC), and short-term visual memory (PRM). The assessment was conducted twice; the mean interval between testing sessions was 17,7 months. Results. The analysis revealed significant changes in reaction time (CRT) between the two assessment points. After applying the Holm correction for multiple comparisons, only the change in CRT remained statistically significant. No statistically significant changes were detected for spatial working memory (SWM), spatial planning (SOC), or short-term visual memory (PRM); this result may be related both to the absence of pronounced changes over the given observation interval and to insufficient statistical power of the study. Conclusions. The findings show that the dynamics of particular cognitive functions in children with cerebellar tumors are heterogeneous. The most robust result was obtained for reaction time.

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