Interventions for Cancer-related Cognitive Impairment (CRCI)

Interventions for Cancer-related Cognitive Impairment (CRCI)

Date: Monday, August 26, 2024
Time: 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET

In this installment of the Building Bridges in Cancer Symptom Science Webinar Series, the speakers focused on interventions for cancer-related cognitive impairment. Dr. Agnès Lacreuse discussed pharmacological interventions for cognitive decline induced by aromatase-inhibitor therapy in a marmoset model. Dr. Diane Von Ah addressed cognitive training interventions for cancer-related cognitive impairment.

Speakers

Agnès Lacreuse, Ph.D. is Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a primatologist with more than 20 years’ experience studying nonhuman primates, including baboons, capuchins, rhesus monkeys and marmosets. Her current work addresses cognitive aging and women's health issues. The Lacreuse Lab team studies nonhuman primates to better understand neurocognitive aging and pathological aging processes, such as those involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD). 2/3 of AD cases in humans are women. For this reason, they aim to understand how changes in sex hormones, especially estrogens, affect brain and cognitive aging in females; as well as develop a new treatment that would safely alleviate these severe side effects and help breast cancer survivors live a better life. She has also contributed to cognitive research in chimpanzees. Her research investigates neurocognitive aging in nonhuman primates, with a special emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease and Women’s Health. Dr. Lacreuse is a member of the Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, the Initiative on Neurosciences, the Center for Neuroendocrine Studies and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences.She is the outgoing chair of the American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Animal Research and Ethics (CARE).

Diane Von Ah, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN is a leader in oncology symptom science and has dedicated her career to improving the lives of cancer survivors and developing the next generation of scientists. Dr. Von Ah’s program of bio-behavioral research has focused on (1) identifying the incidence of subjective and objective cognitive dysfunction, (2) examining the underlying mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction, (3) exploring the impact of cognitive dysfunction on functional limitations, work ability and quality of life, and (4) discovering efficacious interventions to alleviate this potentially debilitating symptom in cancer survivors. Dr. Von Ah’s randomized clinical trials represent the first to fully test the effects of cognitive training to improve cognitive dysfunction in breast cancer survivors and is featured on the National Cancer Institute’s Research Tested Intervention Program website. Her research has been well-funded and disseminated widely appearing in top national and international journals. Dr. Von Ah has used her expertise in symptom science to mentor the next generation of scientists and serve in leadership positions to support and communicate advancements in the field. She has served on study sections for the NIH and Chaired the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Grant Review Program. She was the leader of the ONS’s Putting Evidence into Practice, Cognitive Dysfunction Team and the primary author of the Society’s Research Agenda for 2019-2022. She is an invited Advisory Board Member on the NIH/NCI – Physician Data Query (PDQ ®) Supportive and Palliative Care Board, an interdisciplinary board of clinician scholars who write and disseminate the latest information on cancer symptoms and symptom management for clinicians to utilize in their practice. Most recently, she served on the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Diagnosing and Treating Adult Cancers to review the latest cancer treatment and their effects, specifically identifying the ramifications of cognitive dysfunction on disability in cancer survivors. She has received numerous awards and distinctions in the field of oncology nursing and is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Hosts

Catherine Schweppe, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Gastrointestinal and Other Cancers Research Group
NCI Division of Cancer Prevention

Todd S. Horowitz, Ph.D.
Program Director
Behavioral Research Program's (BRP)
Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences Branch (BBPSB),
NCI Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS)

Point of Contact

Catherine Schweppe, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Gastrointestinal and Other Cancers Research Group
NCI Division of Cancer Prevention

Brennan Streck, Ph.D., R.N., M.P.H.
Program Officer
Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Group
NCI Division of Cancer Prevention

Rachel Altshuler, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Group
NCI Division of Cancer Prevention