Glioblastoma remodeling of neural circuits in the human brain decreases survival
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ABSTRACT: Gliomas synaptically integrate into neural circuits. Prior work has demonstrated bidirectional interactions between neurons and glioma cells, with neuronal activity driving glioma growth and gliomas increasing neuronal excitability. In this study we sought to determine how glioma-induced neuronal changes influence neural circuits underlying cognition and whether these interactions influence patient survival. Using intracranial brain recordings during lexical retrieval language tasks in awake humans together with site-specific tumor tissue biopsies and cell biology experiments, we found that gliomas remodel functional neural circuitry such that task-relevant neural responses activate tumor-infiltrated cortex well beyond the cortical regions normally recruited in the healthy brain. Site-directed biopsies from regions within the tumor that exhibit high functional connectivity between the tumor and the rest of the brain are enriched for a glioblastoma subpopulation that exhibits a distinct synaptogenic and neuronotrophic phenotype. Tumor cells from functionally connected regions secrete the synaptogenic factor thrombospondin-1, which contributes to the differential neuron-glioma interactions observed in functionally connected tumor regions compared to tumor regions with less functional connectivity. Pharmacological inhibition of thrombospondin-1 through the FDA-approved drug, gabapentin decreases glioblastoma proliferation. The degree of functional connectivity between glioblastoma and the normal brain negatively impacts both patient survival and language task performance. These data demonstrate that high-grade gliomas functionally remodel neural circuits in the human brain, which both promotes tumor progression and impairs cognition.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE223065 | GEO | 2023/01/20
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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