Neurobiology basis of anxiety in adolescents with lymphoid tumors

Abstract

Relevance. Search for electroencephalographic, psychological and neurochemical correlates of anxiety in adolescents with lymphoid tumors (LT).Material and methods. In 23 adolescents aged 11 to 16 years with LT, receiving chemotherapy according to the programs recommended by group BFM (Berlin – Frankfurt – Munster), an electroencephalographic (EEG), biochemical and psychological study of the level of anxiety was performed using the Spielberger method. The control group included healthy adolescents.Results. Electroencephalograms in adolescents with LT differed significantly from those typical for this age group in the norm. During the chemotherapy, EEG variants were found that are not characteristic of healthy peers. A significant increase in the level of situational anxiety was revealed, compared with the control group. The level of both situational and personal anxiety correlated with power values in the beta‑1, -2 band (17–21 Hz) in the frontal areas of the cerebral cortex. Relationships were found between neurochemical indicators of stress (VMA) and neurotoxicity (N-ANA) with an increased content of beta‑1 and beta‑2 activity in the central-parietal regions and a deficit in the activity of the alpha frequency band, according to EEG data, and an increase in the level of anxiety.Conclusions. 1. In adolescents with LT, the tumor process and chemotherapy have a negative impact on the functioning of the central nervous system, which is reflected in the change in the level of ‘anxiety’ and the appearance of pathological forms of activity in the EEG and in the dynamics of neurochemical parameters. 2. An increased level of theta- and beta-activity in the frontotemporal areas of the cerebral cortex in adolescents with LT, which correlates with an increased level of anxiety, may be one of the markers of neurotoxicity.