# A novel brain functional-structural hybrid analysis to explain the effect of a 6-month psychosocial intervention on resilience in breast cancer

## TL;DR

This study explores how brain imaging can predict how well breast cancer patients respond to a 6-month psychosocial intervention aimed at improving resilience.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel hybrid analysis of brain function and structure to predict resilience improvement in breast cancer patients.

## Key findings

- 62.9% of patients showed improved resilience after the intervention.
- The amygdala and hippocampus in rs-fMRI and the Corpus Callosum in DTI were key brain regions linked to treatment response.
- Neuro-markers from MR imaging may help evaluate responses to behavioral interventions.

## Abstract

To explore if pretreatment brain function/structure connectome could explain the response to a psychosocial intervention on resilience in breast cancer.

Between February 2018 and October 2021, women newly diagnosed with breast cancer were retrospectively enrolled from the Be Resilient to Breast Cancer (BRBC) trial and received a supportive-expressive therapy intervention. Baseline Resting-state Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI) combined with Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) were administered and resilience was scored by 10-item Resilience Scale specific to Cancer (RS-SC-10) at baseline and after the intervention (6 months). Response to the supportive intervention on resilience was defined as > 0.5 standard deviation (SD) improvement at 6 months compared to baseline mean resilience score.

A total of 105 patients received intervention. At 6 months, the resilience score improved in 62.9 % (N = 66), defined as the Response group. Amygdala (53 %) and Hippocampus (15 %) in rs-fMRI and CorpusCallosum_ForcepsMinor (96 %) in DTI were recognized as the main significant brain regions associated with treatment response.

These preliminary data suggest that neuro-markers of brain function/structure connectome from MR imaging might be useful in evaluating response to behavioral interventions on resilience.