Effects of neurologic dance training (NDT) on cognitive control underlying task performance among breast cancer (BC) survivors with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy (CIN).

Research Objectives: To evaluate the effect of an NDT intervention on cognitive control during performance of motor-cognitive dual task challenges among BC survivors with CIN.

Design: Interventional clinical trial. These exploratory pilot data were collected within a larger clinical intervention trial. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during performance of the following balance tasks: bilateral quiet standing (Q) with eyes open (QEO), eyes open while performing an auditory oddball motor-cognitive dual-task (QEOa), and eyes open while performing a visual oddball motor-cognitive dual-task. We compared cognitive control pre- vs. post intervention using a t-test (one-tailed, heteroscedasticity assumed).

Setting: Community cancer survivorship facility within an academic medical center.

Participants: 10 BC survivors with CIN and demonstrated postural control deficits per age-equivalent norms (Worthen-Chaudhari, et al. (2018)). Five of these participants underwent testing before intervention commencement and 5 after intervention completion.

Interventions: 8 weeks of NDT that took the form of Adapted Argentine Tango. Frequency 2x per week. Movement-to-music dose approximately 15 min per session

Main Outcome Measures: Mean high gamma activity amplitude during the oddball paradigm, relative to activity detected during a baseline task of quiet bilateral standing with eyes open (QEO). Ozdemir et al (2018, 2016) reported that high gamma activity is associated with age-related performance deficits during challenging balance tasks.

Results: After 8 weeks of NDT intervention, high gamma activity was lower during the visual and auditory oddball tasks compared to QEO relative to before intervention.

Conclusions: We explored one potential mechanism of action underlying the NDT intervention as a solution for BC survivors with CIN. Our results suggest reduced cognitive load during oddball processing in standing post-NDT relative to baseline.

Author(s) Disclosures: Worthen-Chaudhari receives royalties from the start-up business "Games That Move You".
The clinical trial that this pilot study was associated with was funded by R21-AG068831 (MPIs: Worthen-Chaudhari and Lustberg).