Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Is age a risk factor for cognitive changes following hematopoietic cell transplantation?

A Correction to this article was published on 23 September 2020

A Correction to this article was published on 23 September 2020

This article has been updated

Abstract

Cognitive deficits following hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are common and affect post-HCT treatment regimen adherence and quality-of-life. Little is known about effects of age on cognition following HCT. The current study aimed to identify the effects of age on cognition one-year post-HCT, compared to pre-HCT baseline functioning. Participants were 78 autologous and allogeneic transplant recipients who underwent neuropsychological assessments at baseline and one-year post-HCT. Mixed model analyses indicated that no statistically significant main effect of age was observed for any cognitive variable. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Total Index Score and Trail Making Test (parts A and B) showed significant interaction effects between age and transplant type. These findings indicate that older autologous and allogeneic transplant recipients were predicted to perform similarly; however, young allogeneic HCT recipients were predicted to perform substantially below young autologous transplant recipients. Hierarchical regressions indicated that age failed to predict changes in neuropsychological test performance between baseline and one-year post-HCT. These findings indicate that advanced age may not be a risk factor for worse cognitive outcome post-HCT, though younger allogeneic transplant recipients may be at risk for worse cognitive outcomes, relative to younger autologous recipient counterparts. Clinical implications are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

Change history

  • 24 September 2020

    The original version of this Article contained an error in the second affilation. It was listed as “Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, MI, USA”. Madison is in the state of Wisconsin (WI) and not Michigan (MI).

  • 23 September 2020

    A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-020-01062-3

References

  1. Artero S, Touchon J, Ritchie K. Disability and mild cognitive impairment: a longitudinal population-based study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2001;16:1092–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bevans MF, Mitchell SA, Barrett JA, Bishop MR, Childs R, Fowler D, et al. Symptom distress predicts long-term health and well-being in allogeneic stem cell transplantation survivors. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant J Am Soc Blood Marrow Transplant. 2014;20:387–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Phillips KM, McGinty HL, Cessna J, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of changes in cognitive functioning in adults undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2013;48:1350–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Strauss E, Sherman EMS, Spreen O. A compendium of neuropsychological tests. NY: Oxford University Press; 2006.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation (grant #: 2193.II) supported this work. We thank the research assistants for performing the cognitive testing, including Alyssa Buthman, Courtney Goetz, Mariam Ktiri, and Nicholas Scapini. We also thank the BMT physicians, Physician Assistants, and nurse coordinators from the University of Michigan’s Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program, and Lynne Bischoff, the BMT clinical research coordinator. Finally, we appreciate the time and effort provided by patients receiving HCT at Michigan Medicine.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to John Stratton.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Stratton, J., Sylvia, A., Hoodin, F. et al. Is age a risk factor for cognitive changes following hematopoietic cell transplantation?. Bone Marrow Transplant 56, 567–569 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-020-01046-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-020-01046-3

Search

Quick links