Skip to main content
Log in

Childhood Brain Tumors: a Systematic Review of the Structural Neuroimaging Literature

  • Review
  • Published:
Neuropsychology Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Due to medical advances, a large portion of children survive brain tumor diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is important to identify the neuroanatomical and neurocognitive outcomes associated with survivorship. This review summarizes the specific regional structural neuroimaging findings, the broad structural findings, as well as the corresponding neurocognitive domains affected in brain tumor populations. Across studies, damage is commonly reported near the cerebellum, brain stem, and subcortical regions, as well as the frontal lobes. These results are consistent with the expected neuroanatomical damage following posterior fossa brain tumors, which was the most common tumor location of the studies in this review. Damage to these regions impacts a broad range of neurocognitive outcomes, as well as a number of specific neurocognitive domains. Damage to more ventral and subcortical brain regions correlated with lower motor speed, processing speed, attention, and memory. Relevant limitations and future directions are discussed with a focus on disentangling the complex and multifaceted factors associated with the consequences of brain tumor survivorship.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aboitiz, F., Scheibel, A. B., Fisher, R. S., & Zaidel, E. (1992). Fiber composition of the human corpus callosum. Brain Research, 598(1–2), 143–115.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ailion, A. S., King, T. Z., Wang, L., Fox, M. E., Mao, H., Morris, R. M., & Crosson, B. (2016). Cerebellar atrophy in adult survivors of childhood cerebellar tumor. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 1–11. doi:10.1017/s1355617716000138.

  • Akakin, A., Peris-Celda, M., Kilic, T., Seker, A., Gutierrez-Martin, A., et al. (2014). The dentate nucleus and its projection system in the human cerebellum: The dentate nucleus microsurgical anatomical study. Neurosurgery, 74(7), 401–425.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen, S. M., Rapcsak, S. Z., & Beeson, P. M. (2010). Cost function masking during normalization of brains with focal lesions: Still a necessity? NeuroImage, 53, 78–84.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, J. R., & Treip, C. S. (1973). Hypertrophic olivary degeneration and Purkinje cell degeneration in a case of long-standing head injury. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 36(5), 826–832.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Argyelan, M., Carbon, M., Niethammer, M., Ulug, A. M., Voss, H. U., Bressman, S. B., et al. (2009). Cerebellothalamocortical connectivity regulates penetrance in dystonia. The Journal of Neuroscience, 29, 9740–9747.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ashburner, J., & Friston, K. J. (2000). Voxel-based morphometry—The methods. NeuroImage, 11(6), 805–821. doi:10.1006/nimg.2000.0582.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aukema, E. J., Caan, M. W., Oudhuis, N., Majoie, C. B., Vos, F. M., Reneman, L., et al. (2009). White matter fractional anisotropy correlates with speed of processing and motor speed in young childhood cancer survivors. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, 74(3), 837–843. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.08.060.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bledsoe, J., Semrud-Clikeman, M., & Pliszka, S. R. (2009). A magnetic resonance imaging study of the cerebellar vermis in chronically treated and treatment-naive children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder combined type. Biological Psychiatry, 65(7), 620–624. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.11.030.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Blumenfeld, H. (2011). Neuroanatomy through clinical cases, 2nd edition, Sinauer Associates, Inc., ISBN 978-0-87893.

  • Brett, M., Leff, A. P., Rorden, C., & Ashburner, J. (2001). Spatial normalization of brain images with focal lesions using cost function masking. NeuroImage, 14(2), 486–500. doi:10.1006/nimg.2001.0845.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brinkman, T. M., Reddick, W. E., Luxton, J., Glass, J. O., Sabin, N. D., Srivastava, D. K.,. .. Krull, K. R. (2012). Cerebral white matter integrity and executive function in adult survivors of childhood medulloblastoma. Neuro-oncology, 14 Suppl 4, iv25-36. doi:10.1093/neuonc/nos214.

  • Buckner, R. L., Krienen, F. M., Castellanos, A., Diaz, J. C., & Yeo, B. T. (2011). The organization of the human cerebellum estimated by intrinsic functional connectivity. Journal of Neurophysiology, 106(5), 2322–2345. doi:10.1152/jn.00339.2011.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Callu, D., Viguier, D., Laroussinie, F., Puget, S., Boddaert, N., Kieffer, V., et al. (2009). Cognitive and academic outcome after benign or malignant cerebellar tumor in children. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology: Official Journal of the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology, 22(4), 270–278. doi:10.1097/WNN.0b013e3181bf2d4c.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Concha, L. (2014). A macroscopic view of microstructure: Using diffusion-weighted images to infer damage, repair, and plasticity of white matter. Neuroscience, 276, 14–28. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.09.004.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duffner, P. K. (2004). Long-term effects of radiation therapy on cognitive and endocrine function in children with leukemia and brain tumors. The Neurologist, 10(6), 293–310. doi:10.1097/01.nrl.0000144287.35993.96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finnie, J. W., Van den Heuvel, C., Gebski, V., Manavis, J., Summersides, G. E., & Blumbergs, P. C. (2001). Effect of impact on different regions of the head of lambs. Journal of Comparative Pathology, 124, 159–164.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fry, A. F., & Hale, S. (1996). Processing speed, working memory and fluid intelligence: Evidence for a developmental cascade. Psychological Science, 7, 237–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fry, A. F., & Hale, S. (2000). Relationships among processing speed, working memory, and fluid intelligence in children. Biological Psychology, 54, 1–34.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, K., Bonner, M., Willard, V., Watral, M. A., & Gururangan, S. (2008). Hydrocephalus as a possible additional contributor to cognitive outcome in survivors of pediatric medulloblastoma. Psycho-Oncology, 17, 1157–1161.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, J. and Green, S. (2011) Cochrane Reviewers’ Handbook 5.1.5 [updated March 2011]. Oxford: Update software.

  • Hoang, D. H., Pagnier, A., Guichardet, K., Dubois-Teklali, F., Schiff, I., Lyard, G., et al. (2014). Cognitive disorders in pediatric medulloblastoma: What neuroimaging has to offer. Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics, 14(2), 136–144. doi:10.3171/2014.5.peds13571.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Horska, A., Laclair, A., Mohamed, M., Wells, C. T., McNutt, T., Cohen, K. J., et al. (2010). Low cerebellar vermis volumes and impaired neuropsychologic performance in children treated for brain tumors and leukemia. AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 31(8), 1430–1437. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A2114.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hygino da Cruz, L. C., Vieira, I. G., & Domingues, R. C. (2011). Diffusion MR imaging: An important tool in the assessment of brain tumors. Neuroimaging Clinics of North America, 21(1), 27–49. doi:10.1016/j.nic.2011.01.010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ito, H., Kanno, I., Takahashi, K., Ibaraki, M., & Miura, S. (2003). Regional distribution of human cerebral vascular mean transit time measured by positron emission tomography. NeuroImage, 19, 1163–1169.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jacola, L. M., Ashford, J. M., Reddick, W. E., Glass, J. O., Ogg, R. J., Merchant, T. M., & Conklin, H. M. (2014). The relationship between working memory and cerebral white matter volume in survivors of childhood brain tumors treated with conformal radiation therapy. Journal of Neuro-Oncology, 119(1), 197–205. doi:10.1007/s11060-014-1476-4.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jayakar, R., King, T. Z., Morris, R., & Na, S. (2015). Hippocampal volume and auditory attention on a verbal memory task with adult survivors of pediatric brain tumor. Neuropsychology, 29(2), 303–319. doi:10.1037/neu0000183.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jbabdi, S., & Johansen-Berg, H. (2011). Tractography: Where do we go from here? Brain Connectivity, 1(3), 169–183. doi:10.1089/brain.2011.0033.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. K., Knösche, T. R., & Turner, R. (2013). White matter integrity, fiber count, and other fallacies: The do's and don'ts of diffusion MRI. NeuroImage, 73, 239–254. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.06.081.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Justus, T., & Ivry, R. B. (2001). The cognitive neuropsychology of the cerebellum. International Review of Psychiatry, 13(4), 276–282. doi:10.1080/09540260127528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khajuria, R. K., Blankenburg, F., Wuithschick, I., Rueckriegel, S., Thomale, U., Mansour, M., & Driever, P. H. (2015). Morphological brain lesions of pediatric cerebellar tumor survivors correlate with inferior neurocognitive function but do not affect health-related quality of life. Childs Nervous System, 31, 569–580.

  • Khan, K. S., Kunz, R., Kleijnen, J., & Antes, G. (2003). Five steps to conducting a systematic review. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 96(3), 118–121.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Khong, P. L., Kwong, D. L., Chan, G. C., Sham, J. S., Chan, F. L., & Ooi, G. C. (2003). Diffusion-tensor imaging for the detection and quantification of treatment-induced white matter injury in children with medulloblastoma: A pilot study. AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 24(4), 734–740.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Khong, P. L., Leung, L. H., Chan, G. C., Kwong, D. L., Wong, W. H., Cao, G., & Ooi, G. C. (2005). White matter anisotropy in childhood medulloblastoma survivors: Association with neurotoxicity risk factors. Radiology, 236, 647–652. doi:10.1148/radiol.236204066.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Khong, P. L., Leung, L. H., Fung, A. S., Fong, D. Y., Qiu, Y. T., Kwong, D. L., et al. (2006). White matter anisotropy in post-treatment childhood cancer survivors: Preliminary evidence of association with neurocognitive function. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 24(6), 884–890. doi:10.1200/JCO.2005.02.4505.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • King, T., Wang, L., & Mao, H. (2015). Disruption of white matter integrity in adult survivors of childhood brain tumors: Correlates with long-term intellectual outcomes. PloS One, 10(7). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0131744.

  • Kirschen, M. P., Davis-Ratner, M. S., Milner, M. W., Chen, S. H., Schraedley-Desmond, P., Fisher, P. G., & Desmond, J. E. (2008). Verbal memory impairments in children after cerebellar tumor resection. Behavioural Neurology, 20(1–2), 39–53. doi:10.3233/ben-2008-0216.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Konczak, J., Schoch, B., Dimitrova, A., Gizewski, E., & Timmann, D. (2005). Functional recovery of children and adolescents after cerebellar tumour resection. Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 128(Pt 6), 1428–1441. doi:10.1093/brain/awh385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koziol, L. F., Budding, D. E., & Chidekel, D. (2010). Adaptation, expertise, and giftedness: Towards an understanding of cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar network contributions. Cerebellum, 9(4), 499–529. doi:10.1007/s12311-010-0192-7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krienen, F. M., & Buckner, R. L. (2009). Segregated fronto-cerebellar circuits revealed by intrinsic functional connectivity. Cerebral Cortex, 19(10), 2485–2497. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhp135.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Küper, M., Doring, K., Spangenberg, C., Konczak, J., Gizewski, E. R., Schoch, B., & Timmann, D. (2013). Location and restoration of function after cerebellar tumor removal-a longitudinal study of children and adolescents. Cerebellum, 12(1), 48–58. doi:10.1007/s12311-012-0389-z.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kurita, H., Kawahara, N., Asai, A., Ueki, K., Shin, M., & Kirino, T. (2001). Radiation-induced apoptosis of oligodendrocytes in the adult rat brain. Neurological Research, 23(8), 869–874. doi:10.1179/016164101101199324.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Law, N., Bouffet, E., Laughlin, S., Laperriere, N., Briere, M. E., Strother, D., et al. (2011). Cerebello-thalamo-cerebral connections in pediatric brain tumor patients: Impact on working memory. NeuroImage, 56(4), 2238–2248. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.03.065.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Law, N., Greenberg, M., Bouffet, E., Taylor, M. D., Laughlin, S., Strother, D., et al. (2012). Clinical and neuroanatomical predictors of cerebellar mutism syndrome. Neuro-Oncology, 14(10), 1294–1303. doi:10.1093/neuonc/nos160.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Law, N., Greenberg, M., Bouffet, E., Laughlin, S., Taylor, M. D., Malkin, D., et al. (2015a). Visualization and segmentation of reciprocal cerebrocerebellar pathways in the healthy and injured brain. Human Brain Mapping, 36(7), 2615–2628. doi:10.1002/hbm.22795.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Law, N., Smith, M. L., Greenberg, M., Bouffet, E., Taylor, M. D., Laughlin, S., et al. (2015b). Executive function in paediatric medulloblastoma: The role of cerebrocerebellar connections. Journal of Neuropsychology, 1–27. doi:10.1111/jnp.12082.

  • Leung, L. H., Ooi, G. C., Kwong, D. L., Chan, G. C., Cao, G., & Khong, P. L. (2004). White-matter diffusion anisotropy after chemo-irradiation: A statistical parametric mapping study and histogram analysis. NeuroImage, 21, 261–268. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.09.020.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Levisohn, L., Cronin-Golomb, A., & Schmahmann, J. D. (2000). Neuropsychological consequences of cerebellar tumour resection in children: Cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome in a paediatric population. Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 123(Pt 5), 1041–1050.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lezak, M. D., Howieson, D. B., Bigler, E., & Tranel, D. (2012). Neuropsychological assessment (Fifth ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, F., Scantlebury, N., Tabori, U., Bouffet, E., Laughlin, S., Strother, D.,. .. Mabbott, D. (2014). White matter compromise predicts poor intellectual outcome in survivors of pediatric low-grade glioma. Neuro-Oncology, 0, 1–10. doi:10.1093/neuonc/nou306.

  • Mabbott, D. J., Noseworthy, M. D., Bouffet, E., Rockel, C., & Laughlin, S. (2006). Diffusion tensor imaging of white matter after cranial radiation in children for medulloblastoma: Correlation with IQ. Neuro-Oncology, 8, 244–252. doi:10.1215/15228517-2006-002.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Merchant, T. E., Hua, C. H., Shukla, H., Ying, X., Nill, S., & Oelfke, U. (2008). Proton versus photon radiotherapy for common pediatric brain tumors: Comparison of models of dose characteristics and their relationship to cognitive function. Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 51(1), 110–117. doi:10.1002/pbc.21530.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moberget, T., Andersson, S., Lundar, T., Due-Tønnessen, B. J., Heldal, A., Endestad, T., & Westlye, L.T. (2015). Long-term supratentorial brain structure and cognitive function following cerebellar tumour resections in childhood. Neuropsychologia, 69, 218–231.

  • Morris, E. B., Phillips, N. S., Laningham, F. H., Patay, Z., Gajjar, A., Wallace, D., et al. (2009). Proximal dentatothalamocortical tract involvement in posterior fossa syndrome. Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 132(Pt 11), 3087–3095. doi:10.1093/brain/awp241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, S., & Chang, S. (2009). Pediatric brain tumors: Current treatment strategies and future therapeutic approaches. Neurotherapeutics: The Journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics, 6(3), 570–586. doi:10.1016/j.nurt.2009.04.006.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mukherjee, P., Berman, J. I., Chung, S. W., Hess, C. P., & Henry, R. G. (2008). Diffusion tensor MR imaging and fiber tractography: Theoretic underpinnings. AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 29(4), 632–641. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A1051.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mulhern, R. K., White, H. A., Glass, J. O., Kun, L. E., Leigh, L., Thompson, S. J., & Reddick, W. E. (2004a). Attentional functioning and white matter integrity among survivors of malignant brain tumors of childhood. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 10, 180–189. doi:10.1017/S135561770410204X.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mulhern, R. K., Merchant, T. E., Gajjar, A., Reddick, W. E., & Kun, L. E. (2004b). Late neurocognitive sequelae in survivors of brain tumours in childhood. The Lancet. Oncology, 5(7), 399–408. doi:10.1016/s1470-2045(04)01507-4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nagel, B. J., Palmer, S. L., Reddick, W. E., Glass, J. O., Helton, K. J., Wu, S., et al. (2004). Abnormal hippocampal development in children with medulloblastoma treated with risk-adapted irradiation. AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 25, 1575–1582.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nejat, F., Khashab, M. E., & Rutka, J. T. (2008). Initial management of childhood brain tumors: Neurosurgical considerations. Journal of Child Neurology, 23(10), 1136–1148. doi:10.1177/0883073808321768.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Oblak, A. L., Hagen, M. C., Sweadner, K. J., Haq, I., Whitlow, C. T., Maldjian, J. A., et al. (2014). Rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism associated with the I758S mutation of the ATP1A3 gene: A neuropathologic and neuroanatomical study of four siblings. Acta Neuropathologica, 128, 81–98.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ojemann, J. G., Partridge, S. C., Poliakov, A. V., Niazi, T. N., Shaw, D. W., Ishak, G. E., et al. (2013). Diffusion tensor imaging of the superior cerebellar peduncle identifies patients with posterior fossa syndrome. Child's Nervous System: Official Journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 29(11), 2071–2077. doi:10.1007/s00381-013-2205-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom, Q. T., de Blank, P. M., Kruchko, C., Petersen, C. M., Liao, P., Finlay, J. L., et al. (2015). Alex's lemonade stand foundation infant and childhood primary brain and central nervous system tumors diagnosed in the United States in 2007-2011. Neuro-Oncology, 16(Suppl 10), x1–x36. doi:10.1093/neuonc/nou327.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, S. L., Reddick, W. E., Glass, J. O., Gajjar, A., Goloubeva, O., & Mulhern, R. K. (2002). Decline in corpus callosum volume among pediatric patients with medulloblastoma: Longitudinal MR imaging study. AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 23, 1088–1094.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, S. L., Glass, J. O., Li, Y., Ogg, R., Qaddoumi, I., Armstrong, G. T., et al. (2012). White matter integrity is associated with cognitive processing in patients treated for a posterior fossa brain tumor. Neuro-Oncology, 14(9), 1185–1193. doi:10.1093/neuonc/nos154.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Perreault, S., Lober, R. M., Cheshier, S., Partap, S., Edwards, M. S., & Yeom, K. W. (2014). Time-dependent structural changes of the dentatothalamic pathway in children treated for posterior fossa tumor. AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 35(4), 803–807. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A3735.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pollack, I. F. (1997). Posterior fossa syndrome. The Cerebellum and Cognition, 41, 411–432.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Price, C. J., Mummery, C. J., Moore, C. J., Frakowiak, R. S., & Friston, K. J. (1999). Delineating necessary and sufficient neural systems with functional imaging studies of neuropsychological patients. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 11(4), 371–382.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Puget, S., Boddaert, N., Viguier, D., Kieffer, V., Bulteau, C., Garnett, M., et al. (2009). Injuries to inferior vermis and dentate nuclei predict poor neurological and neuropsychological outcome in children with malignant posterior fossa tumors. Cancer, 115(6), 1338–1347. doi:10.1002/cncr.24150.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu, D., Kwong, D. L. W., Chan, G. C. F., Leung, L. H. T., & Khong, P. L. (2007). Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging finding of discrepant fractional anisotropy between the frontal and parietal lobes after whole-brain irradiation in childhood medulloblastoma survivors. Reflection of Regional White Matter Radiosensitivity? International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics, 69(3), 846–851. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2007.04.041.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reddick, W. E., Russell, J. M., Glass, J. O., Xiong, X., Mulhern, R. K., Langston, J. W., et al. (2000). Subtle white matter volume differences in children treated for medulloblastoma with conventional or reduced dose craniospinal irradiation. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 18, 787–793.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reddick, W. E., White, H. A., Glass, J. O., Wheeler, G. C., Thompson, S. J., Gajjar, A., et al. (2003). Developmental model relating white matter volume to neurocognitive deficits in pediatric brain tumor survivors. American Cancer Society, 97(10), 2512–2519. doi:10.1002/cncr.11355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reddick, W. E., Glass, J. O., Palmer, S. L., Wu, S., Gajjar, A., Langston, J. W., et al. (2005). Atypical white matter volume development in children following craniospinal irradiation. Neuro-Oncology, 7(1), 12–19. doi:10.1215/S1152851704000079.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Reinhold, H. S., Calvo, W., Hopewell, J. W., & Van Den Breg, A. P. (1990). Development of blood vessel-related radiation damage in the fimbria of the central nervous system. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 18, 37–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Riggs, L., Bouffet, E., Laughlin, S., Laperriere, N., Liu, F., Skocic, J., et al. (2014). Changes to memory structures in children treated for posterior fossa tumors. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 20(2), 168–180. doi:10.1017/s135561771300129x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ripollés, P., Marco-Pallares, J., de Diego-Balaguer, R., Miro, J., Falip, M., Juncadella, M., et al. (2012). Analysis of automated methods for spatial normalization of lesioned brains. NeuroImage, 60(2), 1296–1306. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.01.094.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ris, M. D., & Noll, R. B. (1994). Long-term neurobehavioral outcome in pediatric brain-tumor patients: Review and methodological critique. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 16(1), 21–42. doi:10.1080/01688639408402615.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Riva, D., Giorgi, C., Nichelli, F., Bulgheroni, S., Massimino, M., Cefalo, G., et al. (2002). Intrathecal methotrexate affects cognitive function in children with medulloblastoma. Neurology, 59(1), 48–53.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rorden, C., Karnath, H.-O., & Bonilha, L. (2007). Improving lesion-symptom mapping. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 19(7), 1081–1088. doi:10.1162/jocn.2007.19.7.1081.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rueckriegel, S. M., Driever, P. H., Blankenburg, F., Ludemann, L., Henze, G., & Bruhn, H. (2010). Differences in supratentorial damage of white matter in pediatric survivors of posterior fossa tumors with and without adjuvant treatment as detected by magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging. Int, J. Radiation Oncology Biol. Phys, 73(3), 859–866. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.02.054.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rueckriegel, S. M., Bruhn, H., Thomale, U. W., & Hernaiz Driever, P. (2015). Cerebral white matter fractional anisotropy and tract volume as measured by MR imaging are associated with impaired cognitive and motor function in pediatric posterior fossa tumor survivors. Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 62(7), 1252–1258. doi:10.1002/pbc.25485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutkowski, S., Bode, U., Deinlein, F., Ottensmeier, H., Warmuth-Metz, M., Soerensen, N., et al. (2005). Treatment of early childhood medulloblastoma by postoperative chemotherapy alone. The New England Journal of Medicine, 352(10), 978–986. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa042176.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scantlebury, N., Bouffet, E., Laughlin, S., Strother, D., McConnell, D., Hukin, J., et al. (2016). White matter and information processing speed following treatment with cranial-spinal radiation for pediatric brain tumor. Neuropsychology, 30(4), 425–438. doi:10.1037/neu0000258.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, R. B., Stoodley, C. J., Anslow, P., Paul, C., Stein, J. F., Sugden, E. M., & Mitchell, C. D. (2001). Lateralized cognitive deficits in children following cerebellar lesions. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 43(10), 685–691.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shan, Z. Y., Liu, J. Z., Glass, J. O., Gajjar, A., Li, C. S., & Reddick, W. E. (2006). Quantitative morphologic evaluation of white matter in survivors of childhood medulloblastoma. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 24(8), 1015–1022. doi:10.1016/j.mri.2006.04.015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sidaros, A., Engberg, A. W., Sidaros, K., Liptrot, M. G., Herning, M., Petersen, P., et al. (2008). Diffusion tensor imaging during recovery from severe traumatic brain injury and relation to clinical outcome: A longitudinal study. Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 131(Pt 2), 559–572. doi:10.1093/brain/awm294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. M., Jenkinson, M., Johansen-Berg, H., Rueckert, D., Nichols, T. E., Mackay, C. E., et al. (2006). Tract-based spatial statistics: Voxelwise analysis of multi-subject diffusion data. NeuroImage, 31(4), 1487–1505. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.02.024.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K. M., King, T. Z., Jayakar, R., & Morris, R. D. (2014). Reading skill in adult survivors of childhood brain tumor: A theory-based neurocognitive model. Neuropsychology, 28(3), 448–458. doi:10.1037/neu0000056.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Soelva, V., Hernaiz Driever, P., Abbushi, A., Rueckriegel, S., Bruhn, H., Eisner, W., & Thomale, U. W. (2013). Fronto-cerebellar fiber tractography in pediatric patients following posterior fossa tumor surgery. Child's Nervous System: Official Journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 29(4), 597–607. doi:10.1007/s00381-012-1973-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spanos, G. K., Wilde, E. A., Bigler, E. D., Cleavinger, H. B., Fearing, M. A., Levin, H. S., et al. (2007). Cerebellar atrophy after moderate-to-severe pediatric traumatic brain injury. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 28, 537–542.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steinlin, M. (2008). Cerebellar disorders in childhood: Cognitive problems. Cerebellum, 7(4), 607–610. doi:10.1007/s12311-008-0083-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, M. C., Skudlarski, P., Pearlson, G. D., & Calhoun, V. D. (2009). Age-related cognitive gains are mediated by the effects of white matter development on brain network integration. NeuroImage, 48(4), 738–746. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.06.065.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sweadner, K. J., Toro, C., Whitlow, C. T., Snively, B. M., Cook, J. F., Ozelius, L. J., Markello, T. C., & Brashear, A. (2016). ATP1A3 mutation in adult rapid-onset ataxia. PloS One, 1(3), e0151429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szathmari, A., Thiesse, P., Galand-desme, S., Mottolese, C., Bret, P., Jouanneau, E., et al. (2010). Correlation between pre- or postoperative MRI findings and cerebellar sequelae in patients with medulloblastomas. Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 55(7), 1310–1316. doi:10.1002/pbc.22802.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Timmann, D., Konczak, J., Ilg, W., Donchin, O., Hermsdorfer, J., Gizewski, E. R., & Schoch, B. (2009). Current advances in lesion-symptom mapping of the human cerebellum. Neuroscience, 162(3), 836–851. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.01.040.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Viallon, M., Cuvinciuc, V., Delattre, B., Merlini, L., Barnaure-Nachbar, I., Toso-Patel, S., et al. (2015). State-of-the-art MRI techniques in neuroradiology: Principles, pitfalls, and clinical applications. Neuroradiology, 57(5), 441–467. doi:10.1007/s00234-015-1500-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilke, M., de Haan, B., Juenger, H., & Karnath, H.-O. (2011). Manual, semi-automated, and automated delineation of chronic brain lesions: A comparison of methods. NeuroImage, 56(4), 2038–2046. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.04.014.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, K. R., Madan-Swain, A., & Kana, R. K. (2012). Executive dysfunction in pediatric posterior fossa tumor survivors: A systematic literature review of neurocognitive deficits and interventions. Developmental Neuropsychology, 37(2), 153–175. doi:10.1080/87565641.2011.632462.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zarei, M., Johansen-Berg, H., Smith, S., Ciccarelli, O., Thompson, A. J., & Matthews, P. M. (2006). Functional anatomy of interhemispheric cortical connections in the human brain. Journal of Anatomy, 209(3), 311–320. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7580.2006.00615.x.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y., Zou, P., Mulhern, R. K., Butler, R. W., Laningham, F. H., & Ogg, R. J. (2008). Brain structural abnormalities in survivors of pediatric posterior fossa brain tumors: A voxel-based morphometry study using free-form deformation. NeuroImage, 42(1), 218–229. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.04.181.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tricia Z. King.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ailion, A.S., Hortman, K. & King, T.Z. Childhood Brain Tumors: a Systematic Review of the Structural Neuroimaging Literature. Neuropsychol Rev 27, 220–244 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-017-9352-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-017-9352-6

Keywords

Navigation