BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Besides motor function the cerebellum subserves frontal lobe functions. Thus, we investigated executive functions in pediatric posterior fossa @entity5 survivors. METHODS: We tested information processing, aspects of attention, planning and intelligence in 42 pediatric posterior fossa @entity5 survivors (mean age 14.63  yrs, SD 5.03). Seventeen low-grade @entity5 @entity1 (LGCT) were treated with surgery only and 25 high-grade @entity5 @entity1 (HGCT) received postsurgical adjuvant treatment. We evaluated simple reaction time, executive functioning, i.e. visuospatial memory, inhibition, and mental flexibility using the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks program, whereas forward thinking was assessed with the Tower of London-test. Intelligence was determined using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale. @entity2055 was assessed with the International Cooperative @entity2055 Rating Scale. RESULTS: About one third of each @entity1 group showed forward thinking scores below one standard deviation of the norm. Impaired forward thinking correlated significantly with degree of @entity2055 (r  =  -0.39, p  =  0.03) but not with fluid intelligence. Both @entity1 groups exhibited executive function deficits in accuracy and reaction speed in more difficult tasks involving information speed and attention flexibility. Still, HGCT @entity1 were significantly slower and committed more errors. Working memory was inferior in HGCT @entity1 . CONCLUSION: @entity17692 survivors with different disease and treatment related @entity75 exhibit similar patterns of impairment in executive functioning, concerning forward thinking, inhibition and mental flexibility. The deficits are larger in high-grade @entity5 @entity1 . The pattern of function loss seen in both groups is most probably due to comparable lesions to cerebro-cerebellar circuits that are known to modulate critical executive functions.

Executive function deficits in XXXX survivors.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumor', 'tumors'] @entity75 :: ('MESH:D001927', 'Disease') :: ['brain damage'] @entity17692 :: ('MESH:D002528', 'Disease') :: ['Pediatric cerebellar tumor'] @entity2055 :: ('MESH:D001259', 'Disease') :: ['ataxia', 'Ataxia']
@entity17692 :: (MESH:D002528,Disease) :: ['pediatric cerebellar tumor']
