The Study Of Cognitive Function In Patients With Nasopharynegeal Carcinoma After The Radiotherapy

Objective: this study is designed to observe cognitive function change in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy and to explore the index as possibility that the central nervous system injuries in early days as the radiotherapy throught the approach of event-related potential (ERP-P300) and neuropsychological tests(WAIS—RC). also to assess the probable relationthips between the two tools and similarities and differences in P300 of event-related potential and neuropsychological tests(WAIS—RC).Method: we used P300 index of event-related potential and neuropsychological tests(WAIS-RC) to measure cognitive functions change in 76 cases patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma before and after radiotherapy and in 64 cases, 30 cases 3 months after radiotherapy, 6 months after radiotherapy, as well as in 31 healthy person, respectively, and tocompare the results of two methods . Results: (1) Intelligence quotient (IQ) in WAIS-RC test droped before radiotherapy, the end of radiotherapy,both 3 and 6 months after radiotherapy in various degree.(2) Latency of event-related potentials p300 was lengthenned gradually at the end of radiotherapy ,3 months and 6 months after radiotherapy.(3) Latency of event-related potentials p300 was negatively associated with similarity,digit span and object assembly significantly (p<0.01), also negatively associated with vocabulary, block desion , measuring scale, verbal intelligence quotient , procedure intelligence quotient and full intelligence quotient(p<0.05) , respectively.(4) The effect of the P300 latency was significantly different from that of WAIS — RC(P<0.01).and the P300 latency is sensitive than WAIS—RC .Conclusion: (1)The patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma had dysfunction of intelligence quotient and cognition after the radiotherapy .the intelligence quotient and cognitive function in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapyhave the tendency to aggravate as the survives time going on.(2)The latency of event-related potentials p300 was negatively associated withsimilarity , digit span and object assembly significantly , also negatively associatedwith vocabulary, block desion, measuring scale, verbal intelligence quotient,procedure intelligence quotient and full intelligence quotient,respectively.(3)Both the latency of the ERP-P300 and WAIS-RC test are relative early and moreindex cognition function injuries and also are index after radiotherapy in patients ofnasopharyneal carinoma, but the latency of ERP-P300 was more sensitive .