Changes in Gut, Microbiome, and Cognition after Doxorubicin, Cyclophosphamide, and Paclitaxel Chemotherapy Treatment

Chemotherapy induced cognitive impairment (CICI), or “chemobrain”, is defined as an impairment in memory, learning, executive function, and attention following chemotherapy treatment. In this study, 12-week-old female C57/BL6 mice were treated with 8 once weekly intraperitoneal injections (IP) of the following chemotherapeutic treatment groups: 1) Doxorubicin (Dox), Cyclophosphamide (CYP), and Paclitaxel (PTX) (AC-T) or 2) saline. At 30 days after the last AC-T or Saline injection, mice underwent the three-chamber sociability test to assess social behavior and social memory. AC-T treated mice spent equal time with both the novel and the stranger mouse, indicating a deficit in social memory. RNA sequencing showed changes in networks associated with neurogenesis, axonal guidance and neurotransmission.