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Background The question has been raised whether low dose radiation toward the brain in childhood can affect cognitive functions. Purpose To examine if a head computed tomography (CT) examination in childhood affect later cognitive functions. Material and Methods A total of 147 participants (67 girls/women, 80 boys/men) from a previous randomized controlled trial on management strategies after mild head injury (head CT examination or in-hospital observation) were followed up. Participants were aged 6-16 years (mean age = 11.2 ± 2.8) at first inclusion and 11-24 years (mean age = 17.8 ± 2.9) at follow-up. Computerized neuropsychological measures used for the assessment were motor speed and coordination, reaction time, selective attention, visuospatial ability, verbal and non-verbal short-term and long-term memory, and executive function tests from the neurocognitive test battery EuroCog and the Wechsler Memory Scale III. Results were analyzed with Student's t-tests and multivariate analyses adjusting for sex, age at time of injury/exposure, and age at assessment were performed with Factorial ANOVAs. Results The exposed and unexposed groups did not differ in any of the neuropsychological measures and results did not change when sex, age at time of injury/exposure, and age at assessment were included in the analyses. Conclusion A head CT examination at the age of 6-16 years does not seem to affect later cognitive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Women with breast cancer (BC) report cognitive impairment. Receiving a BC diagnosis may have a negative psychological impact. We sought to determine whether a diagnosis of BC and subsequent surgical treatment reduced cognitive function. Material and methods. We recruited women, who had a positive radiographic finding, consecutively from the mammography screening program at Stockholm South General Hospital. All subjects completed the Headminder Web-based neuropsychological battery Cognitive Stability Index (CSI) for response speed, processing speed, memory, and attention at enrolment (T1, Baseline). CSI was administered again, after BC was ruled out, or after sector resection or mastectomy, if BC was confirmed by cytology or biopsy (T2, Retest). Results and conclusion. Of the 148 women approached, 146 were enrolled; 69 were healthy and 77 had BC. Comparison between groups at baseline, according to independent t-test, showed significant differences in response speed and processing speed. Cognitive abilities did not decline in either group on any of the measured domains. Our results suggest that a diagnosis of BC and subsequent surgery is not associated with substantial cognitive decline at retest. However, the lack of improvement in attention at retest among BC patients may be suggestive of a decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]