The effects of different expression states of δ-catenin on resting brain functional in patients with breast cancer before treatment

Motivation: δ-catenin is the only member of the p120ctn family that can be expressed in neurons. It has been confirmed that δ-catenin highly expressed in breast cancer patients and is significantly associated with the poor prognosis. Goal(s): Explore the changes of brain network function in BRCA patients with different expressions of δ-catenin before treatment. Approach: Categorize untreated BRCA patients into two groups based on the different expressions of δ-catenin,and subjected to neuropsychological testing, brain structural and functional MRI, along with a healthy control group. Results: The breast cancer patients with different δ-catenin expression have different effects on the indexes of brain functional network. Impact: The research results suggest that the brain-network changes caused by δ-catenin precede cognitive impairment changes. Early brain damage caused by δ-catenin protein may involve areas related to executive functions and emotional regulation.