Reduced cognitive deficits after FLASH irradiation of whole mouse brain are associated with less hippocampal dendritic spine loss and neuroinflammation

Radiation therapy is an important treatment modality for a broad range of brain tumors. However, the ability to cure tumors through dose intensity is limited by normal tissue injury, particularly when a large volume of the brain (up to the whole brain) must be included in the treatment volume as is the case for many clinical indications. In the prospective randomized trial RTOG 0614, 64.9% of patients developed a significant decrement in cognitive function by 24  weeks after whole brain radiation therapy [1].

Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology - June 24, 2019 Category: Radiology Authors: Danielle A. Simmons, Frederick M. Lartey, Emil Sch üler, Marjan Rafat, Gregory King, Anna Kim, Ryan Ko, Sarah Semaan, Selena Gonzalez, Melissa Jenkins, Pooja Pradhan, Zion Shih, Jinghui Wang, Rie von Eyben, Edward E. Graves, Peter G. Maxim, Frank M. Long Tags: Original Article Source Type: research