The decision to disclose to your child they are a childhood cancer survivor: a qualitative study of barriers and facilitators using the theoretical domain framework.

Purpose: Childhood cancer survivors are at increased lifetime risk of morbidity and mortality, but adherence to periodic surveillance is suboptimal. One of the reasons that adult survivors of childhood cancer do not complete the recommended surveillance is that their parents may not have disclosed their cancer history to them. We sought to identify key barriers and enablers to talking to children about their cancer history.

Language and reading impairments are associated with increased prevalence of non-right-handedness.

Handedness has been studied for association with language-related disorders because of its link with language hemispheric dominance. No clear pattern has emerged, possibly because of small samples, publication bias, and heterogeneous criteria across studies. Non-right-handedness (NRH) frequency was assessed in N = 2503 cases with reading and/or language impairment and N = 4316 sex-matched controls identified from 10 distinct cohorts (age range 6-19 years old; European ethnicity) using a priori set criteria.

Measuring what gets done: Using goal attainment scaling in a vocational counseling program for survivors of childhood cancer.

Background: Childhood cancer survivors face education and employment challenges due to physical, cognitive, and psychosocial effects of the disease and treatments, with few established programs to assist them. The objectives of this study were to describe the implementation of Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) to evaluate an educational and vocational counseling program established for survivors of childhood cancer, and analyze patterns of program engagement and client outcomes, stratified by demographic and diagnostic characteristics.

Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort study of childhood cancer survivors who were engaged with the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario's School and Work Transitions Program (SWTP) between January 2015 and December 2018 was utilized.

Identification of brain cell types underlying genetic association with word reading and correlated traits.

Neuroimaging studies implicate multiple cortical regions in reading ability/disability. However, the neural cell types integral to the reading process are unknown. To contribute to this gap in knowledge, we integrated genetic results from genome-wide association studies for word reading (n = 5054) with gene expression datasets from adult/fetal human brain.

High-frequency ultrasound-guided intrathecal injections in a young mouse model: Targeting the central nervous system in drug delivery.

Background: Intrathecal injections provide important access to the central nervous system for delivery of anesthetic, analgesic or chemotherapeutic drugs that do not otherwise cross the blood-brain barrier. The administration of drugs via this route in animal models is challenging due to an inability to visualize the small target space during injection. Successful drug delivery therefore requires expertise in indirectly assessing vertebral and spinal cord anatomy and gaining advanced procedural skills.

Hypothesis-driven genome-wide association studies provide novel insights into genetics of reading disabilities.

Reading Disability (RD) is often characterized by difficulties in the phonology of the language. While the molecular mechanisms underlying it are largely undetermined, loci are being revealed by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In a previous GWAS for word reading (Price, 2020), we observed that top single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were located near to or in genes involved in neuronal migration/axon guidance (NM/AG) or loci implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Impact of home-based cognitive or academic intervention on working memory and mathematics outcomes in pediatric brain tumor survivors: the Keys to Succeed pilot randomized controlled clinical trial.

Pediatric brain tumour survivors experience deficits in mathematics and working memory. An open question is whether it is most optimal to target direct cognitive skills (i.e.

Language Difficulties in School-Age Children With Developmental Dyslexia.

Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a common reading disability, affecting 5% to 11% of children in North America. Children classified as having DD often have a history of early language delay (ELD) or language impairments. Nevertheless, studies have reported conflicting results as to the association between DD-ELD and the extent of current language difficulties in children with DD.

Cognitive and behavioral risk factors for low quality of life in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background: With high survival rates for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), long-term quality of life is a prominent consideration in treatment. We concurrently evaluated cognition, behavior, and quality of life in child and adolescent ALL survivors and determined associations between them.

Methods: The sample included 83 controls (mean age: 12.

Quantitative MRI outcomes in child and adolescent leukemia survivors: Evidence for global alterations in gray and white matter.

Introduction: Cure rates for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have reached an all-time high (>90%); however, neurocognitive difficulties continue to affect quality of life in at least a subset of survivors. There are relatively few quantitative neuroimaging studies in child and adolescent ALL survivors treated with chemotherapy only. Use of different outcome measures or limited sample sizes restrict our ability to make inferences about patterns of brain development following chemotherapy treatment.

Genome-wide association study of word reading: Overlap with risk genes for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Reading disabilities (RD) are the most common neurocognitive disorder, affecting 5% to 17% of children in North America. These children often have comorbid neurodevelopmental/psychiatric disorders, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The genetics of RD and their overlap with other disorders is incompletely understood.

Survival and functional outcomes of molecularly defined childhood posterior fossa ependymoma: Cure at a cost.

Background: Posterior fossa ependymoma (PFE) comprises 2 groups, PF group A (PFA) and PF group B (PFB), with stark differences in outcome. However, to the authors' knowledge, the long-term outcomes of PFA ependymoma have not been described fully. The objective of the current study was to identify predictors of survival and neurocognitive outcome in a large consecutive cohort of subgrouped patients with PFE over 30 years.

Brain Development and Heart Function after Systemic Single-Agent Chemotherapy in a Mouse Model of Childhood Leukemia Treatment.

Purpose: Chemotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) can cause late-appearing side effects in survivors that affect multiple organs, including the heart and brain. However, the complex ALL treatment regimen makes it difficult to isolate the causes of these side effects and impossible to separate the contributions of individual chemotherapy agents by clinical observation. Using a mouse model, we therefore assessed each of eight representative, systemically-administered ALL chemotherapy agents for their impact on postnatal brain development and heart function.

Characterizing neurocognitive late effects in childhood leukemia survivors using a combination of neuropsychological and cognitive neuroscience measures.

Knowledge about cognitive late effects in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is largely based on standardized neuropsychological measures and parent reports. To examine whether cognitive neuroscience paradigms provided additional insights into neurocognitive and behavioral late effects in ALL survivors, we assessed cognition and behavior using a selection of cognitive neuroscience tasks and standardized measures probing domains previously demonstrated to be affected by chemotherapy. 130 ALL survivors and 158 control subjects, between 8 and 18 years old at time of testing, completed the n-back (working memory) and stop-signal (response inhibition) tasks.

Brain structure, working memory and response inhibition in childhood leukemia survivors.

Introduction: Survival rates for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) approach 95%. At the same time, there is growing concern that chemotherapy causes alterations in brain development and cognitive abilities. We performed MRI measurements of white and gray matter volume to explore how variation in brain structure may be related to cognitive abilities in ALL survivors and healthy controls.

Clinical neuropsychology practice and training in Canada.

Objective: This invited paper provides information about professional neuropsychology issues in Canada and is part of a special issue addressing international perspectives on education, training, and practice in clinical neuropsychology.

Method: Information was gathered from literature searches and personal communication with other neuropsychologists in Canada.

Results: Canada has a rich neuropsychological history.

Neurocognitive evaluation of long term survivors of atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRT): The Canadian registry experience.

Background: Because atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor(ATRT) is a rare disease of infancy carrying a grim prognosis, focus on long-term outcome, especially neurocognitive remained very limited. With new era of multimodality therapy, an increasing proportion of patients are now long-term survivors.

Procedure: Retrospective review of neuropsychological (NP) status of survivors from the Canadian ATRT registry.

School attendance in childhood cancer survivors and their siblings.

Objective: To investigate school absenteeism among childhood cancer survivors and their siblings and examine factors related to absenteeism in survivors.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among consecutive cancer survivors attending a large pediatric cancer survivor clinic. Absenteeism rates were obtained for survivors and their closest in age sibling from school report cards.

Longitudinal evaluation of neurocognitive function after treatment for central nervous system germ cell tumors in childhood.

Background: Central nervous system germ cell tumors (CNS GCT) are typically localized to midline structures of the brain, including the pineal and suprasellar/pituitary regions. Management of these tumors depends on underlying histology (germinoma or nongerminomatous germ cell tumor). Knowledge about neurocognitive outcome in these patients is limited.

Long term sequelae of pediatric craniopharyngioma - literature review and 20 years of experience.

Craniopharyngioma are rare histologically benign brain tumors that develop in the pituitary-hypothalamic area. They may invade nearby anatomical structures causing significant rates of neurological, neurocognitive, and endocrinological complications including remarkable hypothalamic damage. Information regarding long term implications of the tumors and treatment in the pediatric population is accumulating, and treatment goals appear to be changing accordingly.

A theory-driven training programme in the use of emerging commercial technology: Application to an adolescent with severe memory impairment.

We describe a theory-driven memory intervention programme for training individuals with moderate to severe memory impairment in the use of emerging commercial technology. Here we demonstrate the application of the programme to training MK, an 18-year-old woman with severe memory impairment following treatment for a suprasellar germinoma, to autonomously use a smartphone to support her day-to-day memory. A within-subject A(1)B(1)A(2)B(2) single-case experimental design was used to evaluate the impact of smartphone use on MK's real-life functioning.

Neuroradiological findings of bleomycin leakage in cystic craniopharyngioma. Report of three cases.

Intracystic bleomycin therapy has been proposed as a treatment for predominantly cystic craniopharyngioma. The risks of using this therapy, however, have not been clearly identified. The authors report on three children treated with intracystic bleomycin who developed initially mild symptoms during their course of therapy.

Weight gain in craniopharyngioma--a model for hypothalamic obesity.

Objectives: To evaluate (1) the pattern of post-operative weight gain and (2) the risk factors associated with the development of post-operative weight gain and obesity in children treated for craniopharyngioma.

Study Design: The records of 43 children who had primary craniopharyngioma resection were reviewed. Neurological, endocrine, anthropometric and radiological risk factors for the development of obesity and for post-operative increase in BMI SDS were analyzed.

Working memory after mild, moderate, or severe childhood closed head injury.

Children with closed head injury (CHI) perform poorly on complex tasks requiring working memory (WM). It is unclear to what extent WM itself is compromised, and whether WM varies with factors related to the CHI, such as injury severity, age at injury, and time since injury. We studied verbal WM in 126 school-age children with CHI, divided into mild, moderate, and severe injury severity groups.