Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40787243›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in neuroscience2025

Longitudinal changes of regional spontaneous brain activity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving chemoradiotherapy.

Jing Wu, Huanfeng Zhu, Siwen Liu, Li Yin, Jianfeng Wu, Chengyun Yao, Wenjie Guo, Xia He, Na Yin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jing Wu *Department of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China.
Huanfeng Zhu *Department of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China.
Siwen Liu *Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China.
Li YinDepartment of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China.
Jianfeng WuDepartment of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China.
Chengyun YaoDepartment of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China.
Wenjie GuoDepartment of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China.
Xia HeDepartment of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China.
Na YinDepartment of Radiology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignant tumor primarily treated by radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. Chemoradiotherapy frequently contributes to cognitive impairments, which are associated with abnormal brain activity. This study aimed to longitudinally explore the stage-specific changes of regional spontaneous brain activity in NPC patients during different phases of chemoradiation treatment. Methods: Twenty patients diagnosed with stage III-IV NPC were enrolled in this study from January 2022 to December 2023. All patients received two cycles of chemotherapy (1st follow-up) followed by one cycle of chemotherapy plus radiotherapy (2nd follow-up). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were acquired from all patients at baseline, 1st follow-up and 2nd follow-up. Based on rs-fMRI data after preprocessing, the metrics of regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional aptitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) values were calculated and compared to measure the changes of regional spontaneous activity in the brain. Results: The NPC patient group showed increased ReHo values in the right middle cingulate gyrus at the 1st follow-up when compared with baseline. In addition, the NPC patient group exhibited increased ReHo values in the left calcarine fissure at the 2nd follow-up when compared with the 1st follow-up. The NPC patient group demonstrated decreased fALFF values in the right inferior temporal gyrus at the 2nd follow-up when compared with baseline. Conclusion: This longitudinal study revealed distinct stage-specific brain activity changes during chemoradiotherapy in NPC patients. Chemotherapy induced transient compensatory increases in ReHo in the middle cingulate gyrus, while subsequent radiotherapy led to increased activity in the calcarine fissure. Combined treatment resulted in decreased spontaneous activity in the inferior temporal gyrus, a key component of the default mode network. These temporal dynamics suggest evolving compensatory mechanisms followed by eventual functional alterations, providing neurobiological insights into the progressive nature of treatment-related cognitive impairments and potential biomarkers for monitoring brain changes during cancer treatment.

Indexed as

chemotherapydefault mode networknasopharyngeal carcinomaradiotherapyresting-state functional magnetic resonance imagingspontaneous brain activity

Identifiers

PMID40787243
PMCPMC12331581

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.