Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Status And Cognition In Glioma Patients

Objective In gliomas, isocitrate dehydrogenase-wildtype (IDH-wt) is associated with poorer prognosis and is correlated with lower brain connectivity, implicating cognitive impairment. Little is known about the impact of IDH-wt on cognition. This study aimed to explore the relationship between IDH-wt and cognition. Method Thirty-eight patients (Age M = 48.73 ± 14.98; 50% female) diagnosed with a glioma (29% grade II, 16% grade III, 21% grade IV; Karnofsky Performance Status score (KPS) M = 88.75 ± 14.24) were selected from a retrospective data cohort. 34.2% of patients had left hemisphere tumors, 34.2% of tumors were in the frontal lobes, and 15.8% were temporal lobe tumors. Patients were assessed via abbreviated neuropsychological battery following surgical resection prior to radiation and/or chemotherapy. Results The overall cognitive composite was not statistically significant via independent samples t-test (IDH-wt+: M = 42.37; IDH-wt-: M = 39.29; p = 0.897). Subdomains for attention/executive functioning (p = 0.625), memory (p = 0.923), and language (p = 0.501) were not significantly different. Logistic regression was conducted to investigate how IDH status predicts cognitive status. The coefficient has a Wald statistic equal to 0.042 which is not significant (critical value of 0.837) [df = 1]. Of those with IDH-wt+, 57% were impaired and 43% remained intact. Conclusion We did not find a significant association between IDH status and cognition though sample size is a significant limitation of the present study. More investigations are needed given it is possible that cognitive performance is related to IDH status and knowledge in this area could improve patient care/patient education.