Researchers at The City College of New York have linked chemotherapy treatment to lasting cognitive changes in rats—potentially shedding light, for the first time, on cognitive problems some cancer survivors experience long after treatment ends.

Titled “Chemotherapy treatment alters DNA methylation patterns in the prefrontal cortex of female rat brain,” the study appears in the journal Scientific Reports.

“Our study explored how chemotherapy affects the brain at the molecular level using an animal model,” said Karen Hubbard, professor of biology in CCNY’s Division of Science, who co-led the study.