Post-Surgery Insights: Exploring Neurocognitive Enigma in Low-Grade
Glioma Involving the Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus
Abstract
Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess cognitive
impairment in patients with pre-frontal low-grade gliomas (LGG)
involving the Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (SLF). Methodology: The
current study documented cognitive impairment using the battery of tests
temporarily licensed from The Many Brains Project (TMB) in patients who
underwent surgery for pre-frontal low-grade glioma (LGG) with
radiological evidence of involvement of the Superior Longitudinal
Fasciculus (SLF). Results: Post-operative neuropsychological evaluations
in patients with SLF lesions revealed significantly reduced cognitive
performance compared to healthy participants. These deficits were
evident in tests such as Simple Reaction Time, Visual Patterns, Digit
Symbol Substitution, Digit Span, Attention tasks, and the Trail Making
Test. Conclusion: Functional domains like attention, working memory, and
executive function may be affected in the patients by both the tumor and
neurosurgical intervention. Based on these results, we recommend using
Reaction Time, Digit Substitution Test (DST), Multiple Object Tracking
(MOT), and Trail Making Test (TMT) as practical cognitive evaluation
tools, complementing traditional Intraoperative Neurophysiological
techniques. Significance: Cognitive assessment is crucial in LGG
patients, particularly when SLF is affected, to monitor deficits in
attention, working memory, and executive function.