Cognitive Functions in Children Treated for Medulloblastoma.
- Author:
Ju Yong OH
1
;
Ji Hae KIM
;
Binna KIM
;
Kyung Jin AN
;
Ki Woong SUNG
;
Yoo Sook JOUNG
Author Information
1. Department of Psychiatry, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. yschoung@skku.edu
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Pediatric Cancer;
Cognitive Function;
Processing Speed;
Working Memory;
Medulloblastoma;
Neuroblastoma
- MeSH:
Central Nervous System;
Child;
Clinical Coding;
Follow-Up Studies;
Humans;
Medulloblastoma;
Memory, Short-Term;
Neuroblastoma;
Outpatients
- From:Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
2011;22(4):302-306
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the cognitive functions of pediatric cancer patients and to test the hypotheses that the impairment of processing speed and working memory are more prevalent in children with medulloblastoma (MBL) compared to children with neuroblastoma (NBL). METHODS: We gave the Korean version of the Wechsler Intelligent Scale for Children-III to 21 children with MBL and 24 children with NBL during outpatient follow-up after the treatment was completed. RESULTS: Children with MBL showed below average performance across most of the sub-tests. The full scale IQ, verbal IQ, and performance IQ of children with MBL were significantly lower than those of children with NBL. There were significant differences between two groups in coding and Digit Span subtest scores. Children with MBL performed especially poorly in the coding subtest. CONCLUSION: These findings support previous reports of generally low IQ and the dysfunction of processing speed and working memory among children with MBL, a kind of central nervous system tumor. Further investigation is needed to determine how the deficit of processing speed and working memory affect neurocognitive development and general intelligent functions.
