Thinking skills after surgery for tumors in the front of the brain
Original title: Cognitive outcomes following neurosurgery for frontal intracerebral tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This looks across many earlier studies rather than running a new one.
This is a review of past studies in people, not a new treatment.
The short version
After surgery for these tumors, people's thinking skills mostly stayed about the same.
What was studied. Researchers looked at 50 studies of people who had surgery for a tumor in the frontal lobe: The part of the brain above and behind your forehead. There are two, one on each side, and they are the largest of the brain's four lobes. See the glossary, the front part of the brain. Each study tested thinking skills before and after the surgery. They combined the results from 15 of those studies.
What they found. Thinking scores after surgery were not clearly different from the scores before surgery. The researchers also found weak spots in the studies. The studies used different tests, checked people at different times, and often had too few people.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: If you need surgery on a tumor in this part of the brain, this is a bit reassuring. Across these studies, thinking skills did not drop in a clear way. Your own result can still be different. Ask your care team what to expect for you.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean surgery is safe for everyone's thinking. It is a review of studies that were already done. It is not a new treatment, and it is not a cure. The studies were small and used different tests, so the answer is not settled. Some people do notice thinking changes after brain surgery.
Source: PubMed, October 2, 2026 · Read the original
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