Cited by 372Cancer-related cognitive impairment studiesNeurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanismsNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms

Methotrexate chemotherapy induces persistent tri-glial dysregulation that underlies chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment

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Gibson, Erin M., Nagaraja, Surya, Ocampo, Alfonso, Tam, Lydia T., Wood, Lauren S., Pallegar, Praveen N., Greene, Jacob J., Geraghty, Anna C. +7 more·2019·Cell

Abstract

Chemotherapy results in a frequent yet poorly understood syndrome of long-term neurological deficits. Neural precursor cell dysfunction and white matter dysfunction are thought to contribute to this debilitating syndrome. Here, we demonstrate persistent depletion of oligodendrocyte lineage cells in humans who received chemotherapy. Developing a mouse model of methotrexate chemotherapy-induced neurological dysfunction, we find a similar depletion of white matter OPCs, increased but incomplete OPC differentiation, and a persistent deficit in myelination. OPCs from chemotherapy-naive mice similarly exhibit increased differentiation when transplanted into the microenvironment of previously methotrexate-exposed brains, indicating an underlying microenvironmental perturbation. Methotrexate results in persistent activation of microglia and subsequent astrocyte activation that is dependent on inflammatory microglia. Microglial depletion normalizes oligodendroglial lineage dynamics, myelin microstructure, and cognitive behavior after methotrexate chemotherapy. These findings indicate that methotrexate chemotherapy exposure is associated with persistent tri-glial dysregulation and identify inflammatory microglia as a therapeutic target to abrogate chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cell.2018.10.049

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  • Reactive microglia and brain-infiltrating macrophages impair mechanisms of cellular homeostasis and plasticity such as the ongoing generation of myelin-forming oligodendrocytes, myelin plasticity, and new neuron generation in the hippocampus.

    “Reactive microglia and brain-infiltrating macrophages impair mechanisms of cellular homeostasis and plasticity such as the ongoing generation of myelin-forming oligodendrocytes (Gibson et al., 2019), myelin plasticity (Geraghty et al., 2019), and new neuron generation in the hippocampus (Monje et al., 2002, 2003, 2007).”
  • Microglia become persistently reactive following exposure to certain chemotherapy drugs, after cranial radiation, or after systemic inflammatory challenge with low-dose lipopolysaccharide.

    “Microglia, brain-resident macrophages, become persistently reactive following exposure to certain chemotherapy drugs, after cranial radiation, or after systemic inflammatory challenge with low-dose lipopolysaccharide (Geraghty et al., 2019; Gibson et al., 2019; Monje et al., 2002, 2003, 2007).”
  • A distinct subpopulation of microglia that reside in white matter are selectively activated by systemic insults such as exposure to the chemotherapy drug methotrexate.

    “A distinct subpopulation of microglia that reside in white matter (Hammond et al., 2019) are selectively activated by systemic insults such as exposure to the chemotherapy drug methotrexate (Gibson et al., 2019).”
  • Anti-inflammatory strategies correct multicellular dysregulation and rescue cognition in disease states such as those occurring after exposure to neurotoxic cancer therapies and in aging.

    “This complex cellular dysregulation is thought to contribute importantly to cognitive impairment, and anti-inflammatory strategies correct this multicellular dysregulation and rescue cognition in disease states such as those occurring after exposure to neurotoxic cancer therapies (Geraghty et al., 2019; Gibson et al., 2019; Monje et al., 2003) and in aging (Villeda et al., 2011).”
  • This complex cellular dysregulation is thought to contribute importantly to cognitive impairment.

    “This complex cellular dysregulation is thought to contribute importantly to cognitive impairment, and anti-inflammatory strategies correct this multicellular dysregulation and rescue cognition in disease states such as those occurring after exposure to neurotoxic cancer therapies (Geraghty et al., 2019; Gibson et al., 2019; Monje et al., 2003) and in aging (Villeda et al., 2011).”

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Authors
Gibson, E. M., Nagaraja, S., Ocampo, A., Tam, L. T., Wood, L. S., Pallegar, P. N., Greene, J. J., Geraghty, A. C., Goldstein, A. K., Ni, L., Woo, P. J., Barres, B. A., Liddelow, S., Vogel, H., & Monje, M.
Affiliations
  • Stanford University (US)
  • New York University (US)
  • Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Monje, Michelle
Venue
Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-01
Volume
176
Issue
1-2
Pages
43-55.e13
ISSN
0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2903050755
Cited by
372
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 39 · 2025: 65 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 47 · 2022: 60 · 2021: 52 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 28
FWCI
22.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (RB4-06093, RN3-06510)
  • Unravel Pediatric Cancer
  • McKenna Claire Foundation
  • Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research
  • National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS092597)
  • Stanford Medical Scientist Training Program
  • Stanford Neuroscience Institute
  • Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute
  • Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Endowed Faculty Scholarship in Pediatric Cancer and Blood Diseases
  • Stanford CTSA (UL1 RR025744)
  • BioX Institute
  • McCormick Fellowship
  • Stanford MedScholars Program
  • Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
  • Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research
  • Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation
  • JPB Foundation
  • Cure Alzheimer's Fund
  • Glenn Foundation
  • Esther B. O’Keeffe Charitable Foundation
  • Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (GNT1052961)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Cancer-related cognitive impairment studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
Keywords
methotrexate, chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment, oligodendrocyte precursor cells, myelination, microglial activation, astrocyte activation, neuroinflammation, cognitive behavior
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Cell Differentiation, Disease Models, Animal, Drug Therapy, Humans, Methotrexate, Myelin Sheath, Nerve Fibers, Myelinated, Neuroglia, Neurons, Oligodendroglia, Microglia, Cell Lineage, Mice, Neurogenesis, Cognitive Dysfunction, Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions, White Matter

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