Altered network efficiency of functional brain networks in patients with breast cancer after chemotherapy

// Han Xuan 1, * , Chen Gan 1, * , Wen Li 1 , Zhonglian Huang 1 , Longsheng Wang 1 , Qianqian Jia 1 , Zhendong Chen 1 and Huaidong Cheng 1, * 1 Department of Oncology, Cancer and Cognition Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Zhendong Chen, email: 1225886738@qq.com Huaidong Cheng, email: chd1975ay@126.com Keywords: breast cancer; network; cognitive function; MRI; chemotherapy Received: July 05, 2017 Accepted: August 17, 2017 Published: November 09, 2017 ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the topological organization of functional brain networks in chemotherapy-treated breast cancer (BC) patients with source memory impairment. Methods: Twenty-eight patients with BCfollowingchemotherapyand40age-and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in the current study. All participants underwent source memory tests and resting-state functional MRI scans. Individual whole-brain functional brain networks were constructed and analyzed using graph-based network approaches. Results: Compared with the HCs, the BC patients showed lower scores in the source memory tests ( P < 0.001).Graph-based analyses revealed that the patients showed higher absolute global and local efficiency (both P < 0.01) but lower normalized global and normalized local efficiency (both P < 0.001) compared with the HCs. Locally, several prefrontal, occipital, and parietal regions exhibited higher nodal efficiency and functional connectivity in the patients( P < 0.05, corrected). Finally, positive correlations were observed between normalized global efficiency and Mini-Mental State Examination scores (r = 0.398, P = 0.036) and between normalized local efficiency and the source memory scores (r = 0.497, P = 0.01) in the patients. Conclusion: Chemotherapy-treated BC is associated with abnormal organization of large-scale functional brain networks, which could account for source memory dysfunction in patients with BC.