Preliminary Evidence of Improvement in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors’ Brain Health Following Physical Activity: A Proof-of-Concept Sub-Study

Abstract

15 Background: Cognitive impairment is common among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors. Physical activity (PA) may help mitigate cognitive impairment posttreatment by positively impacting two indicators of general brain health: fractional anisotropy (FA) and functional connectivity (FC). As part of a two-arm, mixed-methods pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT), this sub-study was designed to provide preliminary proof-of-concept evidence for the effects of PA on FA and FC among AYA cancer survivors post-treatment to help inform decisions about proceeding to larger trials. 16