Abstract
Chemotherapy related cognitive impairment (CTRC; “chemobrain”) is a syndrome that is associated with the impairment of various aspects of cognition, including executive function, processing speed, and multitasking. The role of neurotransmitter release in the expression of cognitive impairments is not well known. In this work we employed a newly developed behavioral paradigm to measure attentional shifting, a fundamental component of executive function, in rats treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a commonly used cancer chemotherapy agent. We found that one and two weeks of 5-FU treatment significantly impaired attentional shifting compared to baseline, while saline treatment had no effect. Post-mortem analysis of these rats revealed that 5-FU caused a significant overall decrease in dopamine release as well. Collectively, these results demonstrate the feasibility of our attentional shifting paradigm for evaluating the cognitive effects of chemotherapy treatment. Moreover, these results support the need for additional studies to determine if impaired dopamine release plays a role in chemobrain.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
