Early-Delayed, Radiation-Induced Cognitive Deficits in Adult Rats are Heterogeneous and Age-Dependent

Patients treated with whole-brain irradiation often develop cognitive deficits that are presumed to result from normal tissue injury. Age is a risk factor for these side effects. We compared the cognitive effects of fractionated whole-brain irradiation (300 kV X rays) in rats irradiated either as yo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radiation research 2014-07, Vol.182 (1), p.60-71
Main Authors: Forbes, M. E., Paitsel, M., Bourland, J. D., Riddle, D. R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Age
Aging - physiology
Animal age determination
Animals
Cognition
Cognition - physiology
Cognition - radiation effects
Cranial irradiation
Distillation
Exploratory Behavior - physiology
Exploratory Behavior - radiation effects
Injuries
Irradiation
Legal objections
Male
Memory
Radiotherapy
Rats
Recognition (Psychology) - physiology
Recognition (Psychology) - radiation effects
REGULAR ARTICLE
REGULAR ARTICLES
Risk factors
Rodents
Spatial Behavior - physiology
Spatial Behavior - radiation effects
Tasks
Time Factors
Whole-Body Irradiation - adverse effects
Young adults
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Summary:Patients treated with whole-brain irradiation often develop cognitive deficits that are presumed to result from normal tissue injury. Age is a risk factor for these side effects. We compared the cognitive effects of fractionated whole-brain irradiation (300 kV X rays) in rats irradiated either as young adults or in middle age. A deficit in object memory was apparent at 3 months in rats irradiated as young adults, however, no comparable deficit was apparent in rats irradiated in middle age. In addition, the deficit in object memory in young adults was no longer apparent at 6 and 12 months after fractionated whole-brain irradiation and no radiation-induced deficit was detectable in a spatial memory task at any time, regardless of age at time of irradiation. Thus, clinically relevant fractionated whole-brain irradiation in adult rats resulted in early-delayed cognitive changes that were heterogeneous, transient and age-dependent. The results of the current and previous studies of radiation-induced cognitive changes support the continued investigation and validation of rodent models of radiation-induced brain injury, which are critical for developing and testing new therapies for treatment-induced cognitive dysfunction in cancer survivors.
ISSN:0033-7587
1938-5404
DOI:10.1667/RR13662.1