Abstract #0595

Can mice outrun the deleterious impacts of radiation to the brain?

Kamila U. Szulc¹, Shannon Egan², Elizabeth A. de Guzman^2,3,4, Aidin Arbabi^2,3,4, Donald J. Mabbott^1,5, and Brian J. Nieman^2,3,4

¹Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada, ²Mouse Imaging Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada, ³Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada, ⁴Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, ⁵Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Pediatric cancer patients who receive cranial radiation therapy (CRT) exhibit cognitive deficits later in life. These deficits are often accompanied by brain structure abnormalities, especially prevalent in the white matter and hippocampus. The objective of this study was to explore the potential of physical exercise to mitigate some of the deleterious effects of CRT on the brain, using a mouse model and high-resolution MRI as a measure of brain structure. We found that irradiated mice housed in cages with access to running wheels showed a remarkable recovery of a number of CRT-induced brain volume deficits, most notably in the hippocampus.

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