Brainmap: From molecule to behavior: brain tumors and the connectome

Linda Douw, Ph.D. 
Branco Weiss fellow, MGH Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Harvard Medical School

Primary brain tumors are amongst the most lethal forms of cancer, with every patient eventually dying from this disease, despite extensive, multi-modal treatment. They are traditionally seen as a localized disease, but symptoms have a surprisingly global character. Gliomas, which arise from the brain's supporting glial tissue and are the most commonly occurring form of primary brain tumors, are often accompanied by widespread cognitive deficits and generalized epileptic seizures. Over the past decade, viewing the brain as a network has yielded important insights in normal functioning, and has also led to important advances in neuro-oncology. I will discuss the work that has been done in this field, starting with the altered network topology we see in glioma patients, which is associated with cognitive functioning and particularly epileptic seizures. Moreover, connectomics may provide an intermediate between molecular alterations characterizing the tumor, and behavioral symptomatology.