CAR T cell therapy may cause cognitive impairment

Cognitive impacts of immunotherapies for cancer treatment are not well studied. 

The researchers shoe that CAR T cell therapy can cause cognitive impairment in mouse models with central nervous system (CNS) and non-CNS cancers.

They demonstrate persistent neuroinflammation with white matter microglial reactivity, microglial chemokine expression, and elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokines and chemokines following CART therapy in mouse models resulting in disruption of oligodendroglial homeostasis and hippocampal neurogenesis.

Human frontal lobe analysis from patients with or without previous CAR T cell therapy for brainstem tumors confirmed reactive states of microglia and oligodendrocytes following treatment.

Transient microglial depletion or CCR3 chemokine receptor blockade rescued oligodendroglial deficits and cognitive performance.

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00391-5

https://sciencemission.com/cognitive-impairment-after-CAR-T-cell-therapy