Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children. Despite efficient treatments allowing a survival rate of more than 80%, it is known that treatments against leukemia can cause cognitive difficulties in survivors, amongst other things difficulties in mathematics and in short-term memory. These difficulties have a negative impact on academic and professional success as well as on quality of life. The treatments administered to cure leukemia can also cause damages in brain white matter, which helps the information to travel from one brain region to another. Despite findings and knowledge on brain functioning, the cause of cognitive difficulties in leukemia survivors remain unknown. This research project aims at explaining the cause of cognitive difficulties in leukemia survivors, specifically concentrating on visual short-term memory (VSTM) and mathematical abilities. The hypothesis is that difficulties in mathematics will be related to deficits in VSTM. We will study VSTM from different angles: we will look at performance on a VSTM task, we will examine cerebral activity related to VSTM using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and we will study anatomical correlates of VSTM using diffusion resonance magnetic imaging (dMRI). A better comprehension of the processes that leads to the apparition of deficits will allow to create prevention and intervention programs targeting this particular population. Ultimately, this research project aims at minimizing the apparition of cognitive difficulties in leukemia survivors, contributing to a better quality of life in that population.
