Removing busy brain areas near a glioma may protect thinking
Original title: Resection of highly functionally connected glioma regions predicts long-term cognitive preservation
How far along is this research?
This is a preprint. Other scientists have not checked it yet, so treat it as an early signal rather than an answer.
This looked at people who already had surgery, so it is not a proven way to plan care yet.
The short version
In this study, taking out more of these busy brain areas went with better thinking a year later.
What was studied. Doctors studied 54 adults who had surgery for a diffuse glioma: A glioma whose cells spread out into the brain around it instead of staying in one lump. That is why the edge on a scan is not a clean line. See the glossary. Before surgery, a brain scan called MEG found tumor areas that are strongly connected to the rest of the brain.
What they found. Removing more of these highly connected areas was not linked to worse nerve and body function. 48% got worse about a week after surgery, and 27% got worse about a year later. For thinking skills, removing more of these areas was linked to less decline at one year, when 48% got worse.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: A brain scan before surgery might help your surgical team plan. It could guide what to take out and what to leave alone. The aim is to remove tumor while protecting how you think and remember.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a cure and it is not a new treatment. It was one study of 54 people, and it looked at results after the fact. That kind of study can show a link, but it cannot prove one thing caused the other. This scan is not a standard part of glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4 describing how the tumor is expected to behave. See the glossary surgery today. Bigger studies are needed first.
Source: medRxiv (preprint), October 5, 2026 · Read the original
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