Predictors of cognition after glioma surgery: connectotomy, structure-function phenotype, plasticity.

Determining preoperatively the maximal extent of resection that would preserve cognitive functions is the core challenge of brain tumor surgery. Over the last decade, the methodological framework to achieve this goal has been thoroughly renewed: the population-level topographically-focused voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping has been progressively overshadowed by machine learning (ML) algorithmics, in which the problem is framed as predicting cognitive outcomes in a patient-specific manner from a typically large set of variables. However, the choice of these predictors is of utmost importance, as they should be both informative and parsimonious. In this perspective, we first introduce the concept of connectotomy: instead of parametrizing resection topography through the status (intact/resected) of a huge number of voxels (or parcels) paving the whole brain in the cartesian 3D-space, the connectotomy models the resection in the connectivity space, by computing a handful number of networks disconnection indices, measuring how the structural connectivity sustaining each network of interest was hit by the resection. This connectivity-informed reduction of dimensionality is a necessary step for efficiently implementing ML tools, given the relatively small number of patient-examples in available training datasets. We further argue that two other major sources of interindividual variability must be considered to improve the accuracy with which outcomes are predicted: the underlying structure-function phenotype and neuroplasticity, for which we provide an in-depth review and propose new ways of determining relevant predictors. We finally discuss the benefits of our approach for precision surgery of glioma.

Multimodal study of multilevel pulvino-temporal connections: a new piece in the puzzle of lexical retrieval networks.

Advanced methods of imaging and mapping the healthy and lesioned brain have allowed for the identification of the cortical nodes and white matter tracts supporting the dual neurofunctional organization of language networks in a dorsal phonological and a ventral semantic stream. Much less understood are the anatomical correlates of the interaction between the two streams; one hypothesis being that of a subcortically mediated interaction, through crossed cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical and cortico-thalamo-cortical loops. In this regard, the pulvinar is the thalamic subdivision that has most regularly appeared as implicated in the processing of lexical retrieval. However, descriptions of its connections with temporal (language) areas remain scarce. Here we assess this pulvino-temporal connectivity using a combination of state-of-the-art techniques: white matter stimulation in awake surgery and postoperative diffusion MRI (n = 4), virtual dissection from the Human Connectome Project 3 and 7 T datasets (n = 172) and operative microscope-assisted post-mortem fibre dissection (n = 12). We demonstrate the presence of four fundamental fibre contingents: (i) the anterior component (Arnold's bundle proper) initially described by Arnold in the 19th century and destined to the anterior temporal lobe; (ii) the optic radiations-like component, which leaves the pulvinar accompanying the optical radiations and reaches the posterior basal temporal cortices; (iii) the lateral component, which crosses the temporal stem orthogonally and reaches the middle temporal gyrus; and (iv) the auditory radiations-like component, which leaves the pulvinar accompanying the auditory radiations to the superomedial aspect of the temporal operculum, just posteriorly to Heschl's gyrus. Each of those components might correspond to a different level of information processing involved in the lexical retrieval process of picture naming.

Verbal fluency predicts work resumption after awake surgery in low-grade glioma patients.

BACKGROUND: Resuming professional activity after awake surgery for diffuse low-grade glioma (DLGG) is an important goal, which is not reached in every patient. Cognitive deficits can occur and persist after surgery. In this study, we analyzed the impact of mild cognitive impairments on the work resumption. METHODS: Fifty-four surgeries (including five redo surgeries) performed between 2012 and 2020 for grade 2 (45) and 3 (nine) DLGG in 49 professionally active patients (mean age 40 [range 23-58.) were included. We retrospectively extracted the results of semantic and phonemic verbal fluency tests from preoperative and 4-month postoperative cognitive assessments. Patients were interviewed about their working life after surgery, between April and June 2021. RESULTS: Patients (85%) returned to work, most within 3 to 6 months. Patients (76%) reported subjective complaints (primarily fatigue). Self-reported symptoms and individual and clinical variables had no impact on the work resumption. Late-postoperative average Z-scores in verbal fluency tasks were significantly lower than preoperative for the entire cohort (Wilcoxon test, p < 0.001 for semantic and p = 0.008 for phonemic fluency). The decrease in Z-scores was significantly greater (Mann Whitney U-test, semantic, p = 0.018; phonemic, p = 0.004) in the group of patients who did not return to work than in the group of patients who did. CONCLUSION: The proportion of patients returning to work was comparable to similar studies. A decrease in verbal fluency tasks could predict the inability to return to work.

Natural history of spinal cord metastasis from brain glioblastomas.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Spinal cord metastasis arising from an intracranial glioblastoma is a rare and late event during the natural course of the disease. These pathological entities remain poorly characterized. This study aimed to identify and investigate the timeline, clinical and imaging findings, and prognostic factors of spinal cord metastasis from a glioblastoma. METHODS: Consecutive histopathological cases of spinal cord metastasis from glioblastomas in adults entered in the French nationwide database between January 2004 and 2016 were screened. RESULTS: Overall, 14 adult patients with a brain glioblastoma (median age 55.2 years) and harboring a spinal cord metastasis were included. The median overall survival as 16.0 months (range, 9.8-22.2). The median spinal cord Metastasis Free Survival (time interval between the glioblastoma diagnosis and the spinal cord metastasis diagnosis) was 13.6 months (range, 0.0-27.9). The occurrence of a spinal cord metastasis diagnosis greatly impacted neurological status: 57.2% of patients were not ambulatory, which contributed to dramatically decreased Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scores (12/14, 85.7% with a KPS score ≤ 70). The median overall survival following spinal cord metastasis was 3.3 months (range, 1.3-5.3). Patients with a cerebral ventricle effraction during the initial brain surgery had a shorter spinal cord Metastasis Free Survival (6.6 vs 18.3 months, p = 0.023). Out of the 14 patients, eleven (78.6%) had a brain IDH-wildtype glioblastoma. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal cord metastasis from a brain IDH-wildtype glioblastoma has a poor prognosis. Spinal MRI can be proposed during the follow-up of glioblastoma patients especially those who have benefited from cerebral surgical resection with opening of the cerebral ventricles.

Oncological and functional outcomes support early resection of incidental IDH-mutated glioma.

PURPOSE: The main objective was to assess the neuropsychological, epileptical, and oncological outcomes in a series of patients operated on for a IDH-mutated diffuse low-grade glioma (DLGG) of incidental discovery (iDLGG). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of surgically treated adults with DLGG and selected cases incidentally discovered. Tumor volumes, growth rates, and extents of resection (EOR) were assessed by volumetric measures of fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging. The data on oncological, functional, and epileptical results were retrieved from the patients' digital files. RESULTS: Among all patients with DLGG resected at our center between June 2011 and April 2022, we found eleven cases with an incidental discovery. Resection was supratotal, gross total, and subtotal in 45.5%, 26.4%, and 18.1% of cases, respectively. The rate of epileptic seizures after the surgery was 9.1%. There were 45.4% of patients that had tumor progressions and the overall mean time to tumor progression was 42 months. After the surgery, 3 (27.3%) patients had mild neurocognitive deteriorations, which impeded the return to work in one patient (9.1%). There were no differences with previous series regarding clinical, radiological, and molecular characteristics. Similar results were also found for functional, surgical, epileptical, and oncological outcomes. CONCLUSION: Although the right approach for iDLGG is still a matter of debate, our data support the safety and effectiveness of early surgical resection. More studies are needed to firmly ground this early "preventive" surgery approach.

Oncological, cognitive, and employment outcomes in a series of patients with IDH-mutated glioma resected following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Maximal safe tumor resection is the first line of treatment for IDH-mutated gliomas. However, when upfront surgical resection is deemed unsatisfactory due to tumor size and location, chemotherapy could represent an interesting alternative for reducing glioma extension and allowing for a safer and more efficient removal. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study (June 2011 to December 2021) on patients with IDH-mutated gliomas undergoing chemotherapy with a neoadjuvant intent, followed by surgical excision in awake conditions. MRI-imaging follow-up was conducted every 3-6 months. Neuropsychological assessments (NPSA) were performed for all patients before surgery, during post-operative period, and at later follow-up, and patients were periodically interviewed about their clinical and job status. RESULTS: We included 6 patients who underwent awake surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (temozolomide in 5 cases, PCV in 1 case) for an IDH-mutated glioma (3 oligodendrogliomas and 3 astrocytomas). Median tumor volume reduction was 47%, allowing for complete resection in one patient, subtotal resection in 4 patients, and partial resection in 1 patient. No major adverse effects were observed under chemotherapy. At the 4 months NPSA, a worsening of flexibility was observed in 2 patients (verbal fluencies in one case and trail making test in the other). Three out of the four patients working full time before procedure resumed their job full time, after a 7 to 10 months delay. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by maximal safe resection can be offered to patients affected by IDH-mutated gliomas for whom upfront surgery would be inadequate. More studies are necessary given the limited size of our sample.

Tackling the Complexity of Lesion-Symptoms Mapping: How to Bridge the Gap Between Data Scientists and Clinicians?

Accurate and predictive lesion-symptoms mapping is a major goal in the field of clinical neurosciences. Recent studies have called for a reappraisal of the results given by the standard univariate voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping technique, emphasizing the need of developing multivariate methods. While the organization of large datasets and their analysis with machine learning (ML) approaches represents an opportunity to increase prediction accuracy, the complexity and dimensionality of the problem remain a major obstacle. Acknowledging the difficulty of inferring individual outcomes from the observation of spatial patterns of lesions, we propose here to base prediction on new individuals on models of brain connectivity, whereby the disruption of a given network predicts the occurrence of selective deficits. Well-suited ML tools are necessary to capture the relevant information from limited datasets and perform reliable inference.

A systematic review of the use of subcortical intraoperative electrical stimulation mapping for monitoring of executive deficits and neglect: what is the evidence so far?

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, the functional importance of white matter pathways has been increasingly acknowledged in neurosurgical planning. A method to directly study anatomo-functional correlations is direct electrical stimulation (DES). DES has been widely accepted by neurosurgeons as a reliable tool to minimize the occurrence of permanent postoperative motor, vision, and language deficits. In recent years, DES has also been used for stimulation mapping of other cognitive functions, such as executive functions and visuospatial awareness. METHODS: The aim of this review is to summarize the evidence so far from DES studies on subcortical pathways that are involved in visuospatial awareness and in the following three executive functions: (1) inhibitory control, (2) working memory, and (3) cognitive flexibility. RESULTS: Eleven articles reported on intraoperative electrical stimulation of white matter pathways to map the cognitive functions and explicitly clarified which subcortical tract was stimulated. The results indicate that the right SLF-II is involved in visuospatial awareness, the left SLF-III and possibly the right SLF-I are involved in working memory, and the cingulum is involved in cognitive flexibility. CONCLUSIONS: We were unable to draw any more specific conclusions, nor unequivocally establish the critical involvement of pathways in executive functions or visuospatial awareness due to the heterogeneity of the study types and methods, and the limited number of studies that assessed these relationships. Possible approaches for future research to obtain converging and more definite evidence for the involvement of pathways in specific cognitive functions are discussed.

A new simple and free tubular device for microscopic transcortical approach to deep-seated lesions: technical note and case example.

BACKGROUND: Surgery for deep-seated brain tumors remains challenging. Transcortical approaches often require brain retraction to ensure an adequate surgical corridor, thus possibly leading to brain damage. Various techniques have been developed to minimize brain retraction such as self-retaining retractors, endoscopic approaches, or tubular retractor systems. Even if they evenly distribute the mechanical pressure over the parenchyma, rigid retractors can also cause some degree of brain damage and have significant disadvantages. We propose here a soft cottonoid retractor for microscopic resection of deep-seated and ventricular lesions. METHODS: Through a small corticectomy, a channel route with a blunt cannula is developed until the lesion is reached. Then, a "balloon-like system" made with a surgical glove is progressively inflated, dilatating the surgical corridor. A mini-tubular device, handmade by suturing a surgical cottonoid, is positioned into the corridor, unfolded, and sutured to the edge of the dura, to prevent it from being progressively expelled from the working channel. This allows a good visualization of the lesion and surrounding structures under the microscope. RESULTS: Advantages of this technique are the softness of the tube walls, the absence of rigid arm to hold the tube, and the possibility for the tube to follow the movements of the instruments and to modify its orientation according to the working area. CONCLUSION: This simple and inexpensive tubular working channel for microscopic transcortical approach is a valuable alternative technique to traditional self-retaining retractor and rigid tube for the microsurgical resection of deep-seated brain tumors.

Atypical evolution of meningiomatosis after discontinuation of cyproterone acetate: clinical cases and histomolecular characterization.

PURPOSE: The long-term use of cyproterone acetate (CPA) is associated with an increased risk of developing intracranial meningiomas. CPA discontinuation most often induces a stabilization or regression of the tumor. The underlying biological mechanisms as well as the reasons why some meningiomas still grow after CPA discontinuation remain unknown. We reported a series of patients presenting CPA-induced meningiomatosis with opposed tumor evolutions following CPA discontinuation, highlighting the underlying histological and genetic features. METHODS: Patients presenting several meningiomas with opposite tumor evolution (coexistence of growing and shrinking tumors) following CPA discontinuation were identified. Clinical and radiological data were reviewed. A retrospective volumetric analysis of the meningiomas was performed. All the growing meningiomas were operated. Each operated tumor was characterized by histological and genetic analyses. RESULTS: Four women with multiple meningiomas and opposite tumor volume evolutions after CPA discontinuation were identified. Histopathological analysis characterized the convexity and tentorial tumors which continued to grow after CPA discontinuation as fibroblastic meningiomas. The decreasing skull base tumor was characterized as a fibroblastic meningioma with increased fibrosis and a widespread collagen formation. The two growing skull base meningiomas were identified as meningothelial and transitional meningiomas. The molecular characterization found two NF2 mutations among the growing meningiomas and a PIK3CA mutation in the skull base tumor which decreased. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report describing an atypical tumor evolution of CPA-associated meningiomas after CPA discontinuation. The underlying biological mechanisms explaining this observation and especially the close relationship between mutational landscapes and embryologic origins of the meninges in CPA-related meningiomas as well as their clonal origin require further research.

DIMA-fr: a French adaptation and standardization of the Dutch Diagnostic Instrument for Mild Aphasia (DIMA-nl).

The Dutch Diagnostic Instrument for Mild Aphasia (DIMA-nl) is a standardized battery recently created for evaluating the language performance of patients during the perioperative period of glioma surgery. Our aim was to establish normative data for the DIMA-fr, a French version of the DIMA-nl. The DIMA-nl was first adapted to French. The 14 subtasks of the DIMA-fr were then administered to 391 participants recruited from the general French population. The effects of sex, age and level of education were determined by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Normative data were computed as means, medians, standard deviations and percentiles. Our results demonstrated that age and level of education had an effect on the performance of all subtests but not sex. We thus stratified the norms into four different groups: (i) 18-69 years-old with Baccalauréat (Bac, the French High School Diploma) (n = 246); (ii) 18-69 years-old without Bac (n = 70); (iii) >70 years-old with Bac (n = 48); (iv) >70 years-old without Bac (n = 27). The DIMA-fr is thus the first standardized French battery of tests to specifically assess language during the perioperative period of awake glioma surgery. However, to be used in the clinic, the DIMA-fr must now be validated in patients. The DIMA, which is currently standardized in several languages, could become a reference tool for international studies.

Proposed definition of competencies for surgical neuro-oncology training.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work is to define competencies and entrustable professional activities (EPAs) to be imparted within the framework of surgical neuro-oncological residency and fellowship training as well as the education of medical students. Improved and specific training in surgical neuro-oncology promotes neuro-oncological expertise, quality of surgical neuro-oncological treatment and may also contribute to further development of neuro-oncological techniques and treatment protocols. Specific curricula for a surgical neuro-oncologic education have not yet been established. METHODS: We used a consensus-building approach to propose skills, competencies and EPAs to be imparted within the framework of surgical neuro-oncological training. We developed competencies and EPAs suitable for training in surgical neuro-oncology. RESULT: In total, 70 competencies and 8 EPAs for training in surgical neuro-oncology were proposed. EPAs were defined for the management of the deteriorating patient, the management of patients with the diagnosis of a brain tumour, tumour-based resections, function-based surgical resections of brain tumours, the postoperative management of patients, the collaboration as a member of an interdisciplinary and/or -professional team and finally for the care of palliative and dying patients and their families. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The present work should subsequently initiate a discussion about the proposed competencies and EPAs and, together with the following discussion, contribute to the creation of new training concepts in surgical neuro-oncology.

Electrophysiological Mapping During Brain Tumor Surgery: Recording Cortical Potentials Evoked Locally, Subcortically and Remotely by Electrical Stimulation to Assess the Brain Connectivity On-line.

Direct electrical stimulation (DES) is used to perform functional brain mapping during awake surgery and in epileptic patients. DES may be coupled with the measurement of Evoked Potentials (EP) to study the conductive and integrative properties of activated neural ensembles and probe the spatiotemporal dynamics of short- and long-range networks. However, its electrophysiological effects remain by far unknown. We recorded ECoG signals on two patients undergoing awake brain surgery and measured EP on functional sites after cortical stimulations and were the firsts to record three different types of EP on the same patients. Using low-intensity (1-3 mA) to evoke electrogenesis we observed that: (i) "true" remote EPs are attenuated in amplitude and delayed in time due to the divergence of white matter pathways; (ii) "false" remote EPs are attenuated but not delayed: as they originate from the same electrical source; (iii) Singular but reproducible positive components in the EP can be generated when the DES is applied in the temporal lobe or the premotor cortex; and (iv) rare EP can be triggered when the DES is applied subcortically: these can be either negative, or surprisingly, positive. We proposed different activation and electrophysiological propagation mechanisms following DES, based on the nature of activated neural elements and discussed important methodological pitfalls when measuring EP in the brain. Altogether, these results pave the way to map the connectivity in real-time between the DES and the recording sites; to characterize the local electrophysiological states and to link electrophysiology and function. In the future, and in practice, this technique could be used to perform electrophysiological mapping in order to link (non)-functional to electrophysiological responses with DES and could be used to guide the surgical act itself.

Patterns of axono-cortical evoked potentials: an electrophysiological signature unique to each white matter functional site?

BACKGROUND: Brain-to-brain evoked potentials constitute a new methodology that could help to understand the network-level correlates of electrical stimulation applied for brain mapping during tumor resection. In this paper, we aimed to describe the characteristics of axono-cortical evoked potentials recorded from distinct, but in the same patient, behaviorally eloquent white matter sites. METHODS: We report the intraoperative white matter mapping and axono-cortical evoked potentials recordings observed in a patient operated on under awake condition of a diffuse low-grade glioma in the left middle frontal gyrus. Out of the eight behaviorally eloquent sites identified with 60-Hz electrical stimulation, five were probed with single electrical pulses (delivered at 1 Hz), while recording evoked potentials on two electrodes, covering the inferior frontal gyrus and the precentral gyrus, respectively. Postoperative diffusion-weighted MRI was used to reconstruct the tractograms passing through each of the five stimulated sites. RESULTS: Each stimulated site generated an ACEP on at least one of the recorded electrode contacts. The whole pattern-i.e., the specific contacts with ACEPs and their waveform-was distinct for each of the five stimulated sites. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the patterns of ACEPs provided unique electrophysiological signatures for each of the five white matter functional sites. Our results could ultimately provide neurosurgeons with a new tool of intraoperative electrophysiologically based functional guidance.

Axono-cortical evoked potentials as a new method of IONM for preserving the motor control network: a first study in three cases.

BACKGROUND: White matter stimulation in an awake patient is currently the gold standard for identification of functional pathways. Despite the robustness and reproducibility of this method, very little is known about the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying the functional disruption. Axono-cortical evoked potentials (ACEPs) provide a reliable technique to explore these mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: To describe the shape and spatial patterns of ACEPs recorded when stimulating the white matter of the caudal part of the right superior frontal gyrus while recording in the precentral gyrus. METHODS: We report on three patients operated on under awake condition for a right superior frontal diffuse low-grade glioma. Functional sites were identified in the posterior wall of the cavity, whose 2-3-mA stimulation generated an arrest of movement. Once the resection was done, axono-cortical potentials were evoked: recording electrodes were put over the precentral gyrus, while stimulating at 1 Hz the white matter functional sites during 30-60 s. Unitary evoked potentials were averaged off-line. Waveform was visually analyzed, defining peaks and troughs, with quantitative measurements of their amplitudes and latencies. Spatial patterns of ACEPs were compared with patients' own and HCP-derived structural connectomics. RESULTS: Axono-cortical evoked potentials (ACEPs) were obtained and exhibited complex shapes and spatial patterns that correlated only partially with structural connectivity patterns. CONCLUSION: ACEPs is a new IONM methodology that could both contribute to elucidate the propagation of neuronal activity within a distributed network when stimulating white matter and provide a new technique for preserving motor control abilities during brain tumor resections.

Augmented reality for the virtual dissection of white matter pathways.

BACKGROUND: The human white matter pathway network is complex and of critical importance for functionality. Thus, learning and understanding white matter tract anatomy is important for the training of neuroscientists and neurosurgeons. The study aims to test and evaluate a new method for fiber dissection using augmented reality (AR) in a group which is experienced in cadaver white matter dissection courses and in vivo tractography. METHODS: Fifteen neurosurgeons, neurolinguists, and neuroscientists participated in this questionnaire-based study. We presented five cases of patients with left-sided perisylvian gliomas who underwent awake craniotomy. Diffusion tensor imaging fiber tracking (DTI FT) was performed and the language-related networks were visualized separated in different tracts by color. Participants were able to virtually dissect the prepared DTI FTs using a spatial computer and AR goggles. The application was evaluated through a questionnaire with answers from 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum). RESULTS: Participants rated the overall experience of AR fiber dissection with a median of 8 points (mean ± standard deviation 8.5 ± 1.4). Usefulness for fiber dissection courses and education in general was rated with 8 (8.3 ± 1.4) and 8 (8.1 ± 1.5) points, respectively. Educational value was expected to be high for several target audiences (student: median 9, 8.6 ± 1.4; resident: 9, 8.5 ± 1.8; surgeon: 9, 8.2 ± 2.4; scientist: 8.5, 8.0 ± 2.4). Even clinical application of AR fiber dissection was expected to be of value with a median of 7 points (7.0 ± 2.5). CONCLUSION: The present evaluation of this first application of AR for fiber dissection shows a throughout positive evaluation for educational purposes.

Attenuation and Delay of Remote Potentials Evoked by Direct Electrical Stimulation During Brain Surgery.

Direct electrical stimulation (DES) is used to perform functional brain mapping during awake surgery but its electrophysiological effects remain by far unknown. DES may be coupled with the measurement of evoked potentials (EPs) to study the conductive and integrative properties of activated neural ensembles and probe the spatiotemporal dynamics of short- and long-range networks. We recorded ECoG signals on two patients undergoing awake brain surgery and measured EPs on functional sites after cortical stimulations, using combinations of stimulation parameters. EPs were similar in shape but delayed in time and attenuated in amplitude when elicited from a different gyrus or remotely from the recording site. We were able to trigger remote EPs using low stimulation intensities. We propose different activation and electrophysiological propagation mechanisms following DES based on activated neural elements.

BRAF-mutated histiocytosis of the skull lacking the expression of Langerhans cell markers.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare condition affecting children more frequently than adults. LCH can involve any organ in the body and has a wide spectrum of clinical presentation from a single self-healing bone lesion to a multisystemic life-threatening disease. The diagnosis of LCH requires histology with compatible clinical and radiological findings. Positive immunochemistry for both CD1a and CD207 is required for a definitive diagnosis of LCH. The majority of LCH shares oncogenic BRAFV600E mutation. We report the case of a 55-year-old adult who presented with a single lytic self-healing lesion of the skull, invading adjacent soft tissues. The histology and cytology were also typical of LCH, and tumor cells contained the BRAFV600E mutation. However, histiocytes were negative for CD1a and CD207. We suggest that this case might be considered as LCH, despite its abnormal phenotype.
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"I do not feel my hand where I see it": causal mapping of visuo-proprioceptive integration network in a surgical glioma patient.

A recent tasked-based fMRI study unveiled a network of areas implicated in the process of visuo-proprioceptive integration of the right hand. In this study, we report a case of a patient operated on in awake conditions for a glioblastoma of the left superior parietal lobule. When stimulating a white matter site in the anterior wall of the cavity, the patient spontaneously reported a discrepancy between the visual and proprioceptive perceptions of her right hand. Using several multimodal approaches (axono-cortical evoked potentials, tractography, resting-state functional connectivity), we demonstrated converging support for the hypothesis that tumor-induced plasticity redistributed the left-lateralized network of right-hand visuo-proprioceptive integration towards its right-lateralized homolog.

The challenge of overcoming the language barrier for brain tumor awake surgery in migrants: a feasibility study in five patient cases.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of awake surgery for a brain tumor in a population of non-French-speaking migrants in Paris, France. METHODS: The Lariboisière database of awake surgeries was retrospectively reviewed, from the first case in 2011 up to July 2018. Inclusion criteria were patients being migrated in France during their adulthood, patients being unable to speak neither French nor English. Clinical and radiological data were collected from the electronic medical charts. RESULTS: Five patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. Pathological diagnosis included three glioma, one meningioma, and one melanoma metastasis. The standard awake protocol of our center was followed as usual, with the additional involvement of an interpreter at each step. In the five cases, the awake procedure allowed the surgeon to tailor the resection according to functional boundaries. Resections were complete in three cases and subtotal in two cases. No neurological deficits were observed. All patients returned to their preoperative socio-professional status. CONCLUSIONS: Awake surgery for a brain tumor can be offered to migrants, in spite of the poor verbal communication between the patient and the caring staff. A team dedicated to awake surgery and including an interpreter is the key to successfully overcome the language barrier, before, during, and after the surgery.