Awake craniotomy does not lead to increased psychological complaints.

Background: Patients with brain tumours are increasingly treated by using the awake craniotomy technique. Some patients may experience anxiety when subjected to brain surgery while being fully conscious. However, there has been only limited research into the extent to which such surgeries actually result in anxiety or other psychological complaints.

A timeline of cognitive functioning in glioma patients who undergo awake brain tumor surgery.

Background: The purpose of awake brain tumor surgery is to maximize the resection of the tumor and to minimize the risk of neurological and cognitive impairments. The aim of this study is to gain understanding of the development of possible postoperative cognitive deficits after awake brain tumor surgery in patients with suspected gliomas, by comparing preoperative, early postoperative, and late postoperative functioning. A more detailed timeline will be helpful in informing candidates for surgery about what to expect regarding their cognitive functioning.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment on the Mini-Mental State Examination primarily relates to left middle cerebral artery infarcts.

Background: Post-stroke cognitive impairment can occur after damage to various brain regions, and cognitive deficits depend on infarct location. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is still widely used to assess post-stroke cognition, but it has been criticized for capturing only certain cognitive deficits. Along these lines, it might be hypothesized that cognitive deficits as measured with the MMSE primarily involve certain infarct locations.

Tumor-related neurocognitive dysfunction in patients with diffuse glioma: a retrospective cohort study prior to antitumor treatment.

Background: Impairments in neurocognitive functioning (NCF) frequently occur in glioma patients. Both the tumor and its treatment contribute to these impairments. We aimed to quantify NCF in glioma patients before treatment and to investigate which factors influence NCF.

Anxiety in the preoperative phase of awake brain tumor surgery.

Objective: Awake surgery emerges as a standard of care for brain tumors located in or near eloquent areas. Levels of preoperative anxiety in patients are important, because anxiety can influence cognitive performance and participation, hence altering the outcome of the procedure. In this study we analyzed the prevalence and potential clinical predictors of anxiety in the pre-operative phase of an awake brain tumor surgery.