KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to assess the feasibility and impact of cognitive-motor intervention on cognitive and motor skills in pediatric posterior fossa tumor survivors.
- The results showed intervention benefits and feasibility, indicating necessity for larger randomized controlled feasibility studies in this area.
Cognitive-motor intervention positively impacts cognitive and motor abilities in pediatric survivors of posterior fossa tumors, a form of brain cancer.
Vladimir N. Kasatkin and the team conducted a study that aimed to evaluate cognitive-motor intervention effects on pediatric brain cancer survivors’ cognitive and motor abilities.
Patients aged 7 to 18 years, who had cognitive deficits and finished primary treatment for posterior fossa tumors, were recruited. About 25 participants (meanage=11.3 ± 2.93 years, 64% male) were enrolled. Mendelloblastomas were seen in 17 of them, ependymomas in 1, desmoplastic medulloblastomas in 1, and piloid astrocytomas in 6. Approximately 22 were in remission (meanmonths=45 ), while 3 were in stabilization (meanmonths=49).
The intervention included 2 phases with a 3-month hiatus for home training, totaling 6 months. Each phase lasted for 7 weeks, featuring pre- and post-intervention assessments and 10 training sessions over 5 weeks (two 3-hour sessions weekly).
Participants underwent cognitive and motor tests at baseline, pre- and post-intervention. Each training session incorporated gross motor training (GMT), graphomotor training (GT), and cognitive-motor training (CMT). Statistical analysis employed the Friedman test for repeated measures and post-hoc Durbin-Conover test.
Significant enhancements were observed in visuospatial working memory, visual attention, eye-hand coordination, semantic verbal fluency, auditory-motor synchronization, reaction time, and reduced ataxia rates. These improvements persisted even without direct intervention.
The results underscore the intervention’s efficacy and feasibility, urging further investigation, particularly through larger randomized controlled feasibility studies.
Funding was provided by the Scientific Projects Grant System at Patrice Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.
Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11060-024-04636-z
Kasatkin, V.N., Romanova, E.N., Glebova, E.V. et al. (2024) “Effects of cognitive-motor intervention for pediatric posterior fossa tumor survivors: results of a pilot study.” J Neurooncol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-024-04636-z
