Therapy effects on the structural connectome of children treated for medulloblastoma

This study reports on the effects of pediatric medulloblastoma therapy in a population of 68 subjects. Structural connectivity was evaluated after surgery and again at the end of both radiation and chemotherapy. Linear models were written for the difference between these two time points controlling for age and risk arm. Fourteen significant edges were found connecting the basal ganglia to the dorsolateral prefrontal and prefrontal cortices as well as the cingulate. These regions are part of the executive function network and may point to the mechanisms of decreases in neurocognitive performance.