Personalized Rendering of Motor System Functional Plasticity Potential to Improve Glioma Resection and Quality of Life

Background Lower-grade-gliomas affect young patients, thus the longest progression-free-survival (PFS) with a high level quality of life is crucial. Surgery most significantly impacts on tumor natural history, postponing recurrence, improving symptoms, decreasing the need of adjuvant therapies, with extent of resection, gross-total and supra-total (GTR and STR), strongly associating with longest PFS. Achievement of GTR or STR depends on the degree of functional reorganization induced by glioma. Consequently, a successful treatment fostering neural circuit reorganization before surgery, would increase the chance of GRT/STR.

Hypothesis The plastic potential of motor system suggests that reorganization of circuits controlling hand movements could be presurgically fostered in LGG patients by enhancing plasticity with up-front motor-rehabilitation and/or by decreasing tumor infiltration with up-front chemotherapy. Advanced neuroimaging allows to infer the neuroplasticity potential. Intraoperative assessment of the motor circuits functionality will validate reliability of preoperative analyses.

Aims The project has 4 aims, investigating: A) the presurgical functional (FC) and structural (SC) connectomics of the hand-motor network to picture the spontaneous reorganization and the influence of clinical, imaging and histomolecular variables; B) the dynamic of FC and SC after tumor resection; C) changes in FC and SC maps after personalized upfront motor rehabilitation and/or chemotherapy; D) the effect of FC and SC upfront treatment on the achievement of GTR/STR preserving hand dexterity.

Experimental Design Resting-state fMRI and diffusion-MRI will provide FC and SC maps pre- and post-surgery; personalized up-front motor rehabilitation and/or chemotherapy will be administered; Intraoperative brain mapping procedures will generate data to validate the maps.

Expected Results

1. Provide a tool to render the motor functional reorganization predictive of surgical outcome.
2. Identify demographic, clinical and imaging variables associated with functional reorganization.
3. Describe the gain induced by up-front treatment.
4. Distinguish "patterns" predicting chance for GTR/STR from "patterns" suggesting need for up-front treatment.

Impact On Cancer Results will increase the achievement of GTR/STR, preserving motor integrity, with dramatic impact on LGGs natural history.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Glioma; Glioma, Malignant
• Intervention / Treatment: Diagnostic test: Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI); Behavioral: Up-front Motor Rehabilitation; Drug: Up-front Chemotherapy

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 400
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Lorenzo Bello, MD; Phone Number: 0039-340-217-1453; Email: lorenzo.bello@unimi.it

Study Locations

• Italy
  • Lombardy
    • Milan, Lombardy, Italy, 20157
      • Recruiting
      • IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi Sant'Ambrogio
      • Contact: Lorenzo Bello, MD; Phone Number: 0039-340-217-1453; Email: lorenzo.bello@unimi.it

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria (ARM 1):

• Patients signing informed consent for participation in the study
• Males and females
• Age ≥ 18 years
• Patients with lower-grade gliomas with involvement of the motor pathways who are candidates for surgery

Inclusion Criteria (ARM 2/3/4):

• Patients signing informed consent for participation in the study
• Males and females
• Age ≥ 18 years
• Patients with lower-grade gliomas treated over two years with tumors only biopsied and/or partially resected and eligible for second surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age <18 years
• Inability to adhere to standard study controls
• Subjects unable to understand and freely provide consent to the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Spontaneous motor reorganization: observation; Only neurological and neuropsychological assessment as per normal clinical routine and conventional and advanced functional, resting-state MRI acquisitions	Diagnostic test: Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI); rs-fMRI + neurological and neuropsychological evaluation at preoperative timepoint and 1-2 months postop, 3-4 months postop, 6-8 months postop, 12 months postop
Experimental: Enhanced motor reorganization: upfront Motor Rehabilitation; Patients submitted to motor rehabilitation program aimed at learning unimanual and bimanual coordinated sequences, along with personalized exercise according to tumor location (frontal vs parietal). For 6 months each patient will perform the motor training program in outpatient training session, checked by a physiotherapist for corrected execution at home 3 times/week, and is assessed for the correct training execution and progresses in training sessions each month, by physical therapists at the Rehabilitation Unit and on a weekly schedule by on-line distant monitoring (telemedicine).	Behavioral: Up-front Motor Rehabilitation; personalized motor rehabilitation for 6 months + rs-fMRI + neurological and neuropsychological evaluation before starting motor rehabilitation, at 2-3 months during rehabilitation, 6-9 months during rehabilitation, before surgery (if surgery indicated by tumour board), 1 month postop, 2-3 months postop
Experimental: Enhanced motor reorganization: upfront Chemotherapy; Temozolomide-based regimen of 6 months duration is applied. Treatment will be discontinued in case of toxicity (G2-G4).	Drug: Up-front Chemotherapy; Temozolomide at either 6 cycles consisting of 150-200 mg per square meter for 5 days during each 28-day cycle, or metronomic schedule, + rs-fMRI + neurological and neuropsychological evaluation before starting motor rehabilitation, at 2-3 months during rehabilitation, 6-9 months during rehabilitation, before surgery (if surgery indicated by tumour board), 1 month postop, 2-3 months Post
Experimental: Enhanced motor reorganization: upfront Chemotherapy + Motor Rehabilitation; Temozolomide-based regimen of 6 months duration is applied. Treatment will be discontinued in case of toxicity (G2-G4). Patients will also be submitted to motor rehabilitation program aimed at learning unimanual and bimanual coordinated sequences, along with personalized exercise according to tumor location (frontal vs parietal). For 6 months each patient will perform the motor training program in outpatient training session, checked by a physiotherapist for corrected execution at home 3 times/week, and is assessed for the correct training execution and progresses in training sessions each month, by physical therapists at the Rehabilitation Unit and on a weekly schedule by on-line distant monitoring (telemedicine).	Behavioral: Up-front Motor Rehabilitation; personalized motor rehabilitation for 6 months + rs-fMRI + neurological and neuropsychological evaluation before starting motor rehabilitation, at 2-3 months during rehabilitation, 6-9 months during rehabilitation, before surgery (if surgery indicated by tumour board), 1 month postop, 2-3 months postop; Drug: Up-front Chemotherapy; Temozolomide at either 6 cycles consisting of 150-200 mg per square meter for 5 days during each 28-day cycle, or metronomic schedule, + rs-fMRI + neurological and neuropsychological evaluation before starting motor rehabilitation, at 2-3 months during rehabilitation, 6-9 months during rehabilitation, before surgery (if surgery indicated by tumour board), 1 month postop, 2-3 months Post

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Muscle power	MRC Muscle power assessment (0-5)	ARM 1: preop, 1-2 months postop, 3-4 months postop, 6-8 months postop, 12 months postop; ARM 2/3/4: before starting treatment, at 2-3 and 6-9 months during treatment, before surgery (if indicated), 1 month postop, 2-3 months postop
Motor praxia	ARAT test (Grasp, Grip, Pinch, each consisting of 3 items scoring 0 [not performed, 1/2 abnormal, 3 ok]), De Renzi test (24 complex gestures with individual scoring 0-3 [0 no execution/always abnormal, 2/1 ok after 1 or 2 trials, 3 ok] each evaluating one or more among finger movements [total score 0-36], hand movements [total score 0-36], hand and finger position [total score 0-36], sequence of movements [total score 0-36], meaningful gestures [total score 0-36], meaningless gestures [total score 0-36]; tool pantomime for 10 objects individual score 0 if always incorrect, 1 if correct after command repetition, 2 correct immediately, total score range 0-20)	ARM 1: preop, 1-2 months postop, 3-4 months postop, 6-8 months postop, 12 months postop; ARM 2/3/4: before starting treatment, at 2-3 and 6-9 months during treatment, before surgery (if indicated), 1 month postop, 2-3 months postop

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Comprehensive neuropsychological assessment	Language: Naming test; Fhonemic and Semantic Fluency Verbal and Spatial Memory: 15 Rey's Words; Recall Rey figure; Visuo-spatial test: Rey's Copy; Cancellation Test Attention and Executive Functions: Attentive matrice and Trail Making test For each listed test, equivalent score, from 0 to 4, is used. Mood Disorders. HADS test (score 0-21 : 0-7= Normal; 8-21 Mood disorders	ARM 1: preop, 1-2 months postop, 3-4 months postop, 6-8 months postop, 12 months postop; ARM 2/3/4: before starting treatment, at 2-3 and 6-9 months during treatment, before surgery (if indicated), 1 month postop, 2-3 months postop

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Milan
• Collaborators: University of Turin, Italy
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Lorenzo Bello, MD, University of Milan

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Weller M, van den Bent M, Preusser M, Le Rhun E, Tonn JC, Minniti G, Bendszus M, Balana C, Chinot O, Dirven L, French P, Hegi ME, Jakola AS, Platten M, Roth P, Ruda R, Short S, Smits M, Taphoorn MJB, von Deimling A, Westphal M, Soffietti R, Reifenberger G, Wick W. EANO guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of diffuse gliomas of adulthood. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2021 Mar;18(3):170-186. doi: 10.1038/s41571-020-00447-z. Epub 2020 Dec 8. Erratum In: Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2022 May;19(5):357-358.
• Bello L, Riva M, Fava E, Ferpozzi V, Castellano A, Raneri F, Pessina F, Bizzi A, Falini A, Cerri G. Tailoring neurophysiological strategies with clinical context enhances resection and safety and expands indications in gliomas involving motor pathways. Neuro Oncol. 2014 Aug;16(8):1110-28. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/not327. Epub 2014 Feb 4.
• Castellano A, Donativi M, Ruda R, De Nunzio G, Riva M, Iadanza A, Bertero L, Rucco M, Bello L, Soffietti R, Falini A. Evaluation of low-grade glioma structural changes after chemotherapy using DTI-based histogram analysis and functional diffusion maps. Eur Radiol. 2016 May;26(5):1263-73. doi: 10.1007/s00330-015-3934-6. Epub 2015 Aug 30.
• Cochereau J, Deverdun J, Herbet G, Charroud C, Boyer A, Moritz-Gasser S, Le Bars E, Molino F, Bonafe A, Menjot de Champfleur N, Duffau H. Comparison between resting state fMRI networks and responsive cortical stimulations in glioma patients. Hum Brain Mapp. 2016 Nov;37(11):3721-3732. doi: 10.1002/hbm.23270.
• Fornia L, Ferpozzi V, Montagna M, Rossi M, Riva M, Pessina F, Martinelli Boneschi F, Borroni P, Lemon RN, Bello L, Cerri G. Functional Characterization of the Left Ventrolateral Premotor Cortex in Humans: A Direct Electrophysiological Approach. Cereb Cortex. 2018 Jan 1;28(1):167-183. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhw365.
• Fornia L, Rossi M, Rabuffetti M, Leonetti A, Puglisi G, Vigano L, Simone L, Howells H, Bellacicca A, Bello L, Cerri G. Direct Electrical Stimulation of Premotor Areas: Different Effects on Hand Muscle Activity during Object Manipulation. Cereb Cortex. 2020 Jan 10;30(1):391-405. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhz139.
• Fornia L, Rossi M, Rabuffetti M, Bellacicca A, Vigano L, Simone L, Howells H, Puglisi G, Leonetti A, Callipo V, Bello L, Cerri G. Motor impairment evoked by direct electrical stimulation of human parietal cortex during object manipulation. Neuroimage. 2022 Mar;248:118839. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118839. Epub 2021 Dec 25.
• Howells H, Puglisi G, Leonetti A, Vigano L, Fornia L, Simone L, Forkel SJ, Rossi M, Riva M, Cerri G, Bello L. The role of left fronto-parietal tracts in hand selection: Evidence from neurosurgery. Cortex. 2020 Jul;128:297-311. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.03.018. Epub 2020 Apr 10.
• Kong NW, Gibb WR, Badhe S, Liu BP, Tate MC. Plasticity of the Primary Motor Cortex in Patients with Primary Brain Tumors. Neural Plast. 2020 Jul 3;2020:3648517. doi: 10.1155/2020/3648517. eCollection 2020.
• Puglisi G, Howells H, Sciortino T, Leonetti A, Rossi M, Conti Nibali M, Gabriel Gay L, Fornia L, Bellacicca A, Vigano L, Simone L, Catani M, Cerri G, Bello L. Frontal pathways in cognitive control: direct evidence from intraoperative stimulation and diffusion tractography. Brain. 2019 Aug 1;142(8):2451-2465. doi: 10.1093/brain/awz178.
• Raffin E, Siebner HR. Use-Dependent Plasticity in Human Primary Motor Hand Area: Synergistic Interplay Between Training and Immobilization. Cereb Cortex. 2019 Jan 1;29(1):356-371. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhy226.
• Rossi M, Fornia L, Puglisi G, Leonetti A, Zuccon G, Fava E, Milani D, Casarotti A, Riva M, Pessina F, Cerri G, Bello L. Assessment of the praxis circuit in glioma surgery to reduce the incidence of postoperative and long-term apraxia: a new intraoperative test. J Neurosurg. 2018 Feb 23;130(1):17-27. doi: 10.3171/2017.7.JNS17357.
• Rossi M, Ambrogi F, Gay L, Gallucci M, Conti Nibali M, Leonetti A, Puglisi G, Sciortino T, Howells H, Riva M, Pessina F, Navarria P, Franzese C, Simonelli M, Ruda R, Bello L. Is supratotal resection achievable in low-grade gliomas? Feasibility, putative factors, safety, and functional outcome. J Neurosurg. 2019 May 17;132(6):1692-1705. doi: 10.3171/2019.2.JNS183408.
• Rossi M, Conti Nibali M, Vigano L, Puglisi G, Howells H, Gay L, Sciortino T, Leonetti A, Riva M, Fornia L, Cerri G, Bello L. Resection of tumors within the primary motor cortex using high-frequency stimulation: oncological and functional efficiency of this versatile approach based on clinical conditions. J Neurosurg. 2019 Aug 9:1-13. doi: 10.3171/2019.5.JNS19453. Online ahead of print.
• Rossi M, Sciortino T, Conti Nibali M, Gay L, Vigano L, Puglisi G, Leonetti A, Howells H, Fornia L, Cerri G, Riva M, Bello L. Clinical Pearls and Methods for Intraoperative Motor Mapping. Neurosurgery. 2021 Feb 16;88(3):457-467. doi: 10.1093/neuros/nyaa359.
• Rossi M, Gay L, Ambrogi F, Conti Nibali M, Sciortino T, Puglisi G, Leonetti A, Mocellini C, Caroli M, Cordera S, Simonelli M, Pessina F, Navarria P, Pace A, Soffietti R, Ruda R, Riva M, Bello L. Association of supratotal resection with progression-free survival, malignant transformation, and overall survival in lower-grade gliomas. Neuro Oncol. 2021 May 5;23(5):812-826. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noaa225.
• Rossi M, Vigano L, Puglisi G, Conti Nibali M, Leonetti A, Gay L, Sciortino T, Fornia L, Callipo V, Lamperti M, Riva M, Cerri G, Bello L. Targeting Primary Motor Cortex (M1) Functional Components in M1 Gliomas Enhances Safe Resection and Reveals M1 Plasticity Potentials. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Jul 28;13(15):3808. doi: 10.3390/cancers13153808.
• Sanes JN, Donoghue JP. Plasticity and primary motor cortex. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2000;23:393-415. doi: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.23.1.393.
• Simone L, Fornia L, Vigano L, Sambataro F, Rossi M, Leonetti A, Puglisi G, Howells H, Bellacicca A, Bello L, Cerri G. Large scale networks for human hand-object interaction: Functionally distinct roles for two premotor regions identified intraoperatively. Neuroimage. 2020 Jan 1;204:116215. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116215. Epub 2019 Sep 24.
• Southwell DG, Hervey-Jumper SL, Perry DW, Berger MS. Intraoperative mapping during repeat awake craniotomy reveals the functional plasticity of adult cortex. J Neurosurg. 2016 May;124(5):1460-9. doi: 10.3171/2015.5.JNS142833. Epub 2015 Nov 6.
• Sun L, Yin D, Zhu Y, Fan M, Zang L, Wu Y, Jia J, Bai Y, Zhu B, Hu Y. Cortical reorganization after motor imagery training in chronic stroke patients with severe motor impairment: a longitudinal fMRI study. Neuroradiology. 2013 Jul;55(7):913-25. doi: 10.1007/s00234-013-1188-z. Epub 2013 Apr 26.
• Takeuchi N, Izumi S. Combinations of stroke neurorehabilitation to facilitate motor recovery: perspectives on Hebbian plasticity and homeostatic metaplasticity. Front Hum Neurosci. 2015 Jun 23;9:349. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00349. eCollection 2015.
• van Dokkum LEH, Moritz Gasser S, Deverdun J, Herbet G, Mura T, D'Agata B, Picot MC, Menjot de Champfleur N, Duffau H, Molino F, le Bars E. Resting state network plasticity related to picture naming in low-grade glioma patients before and after resection. Neuroimage Clin. 2019;24:102010. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102010. Epub 2019 Oct 24.
• Vigano L, Fornia L, Rossi M, Howells H, Leonetti A, Puglisi G, Conti Nibali M, Bellacicca A, Grimaldi M, Bello L, Cerri G. Anatomo-functional characterisation of the human "hand-knob": A direct electrophysiological study. Cortex. 2019 Apr;113:239-254. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.12.011. Epub 2018 Dec 24.
• Vigano L, Howells H, Fornia L, Rossi M, Conti Nibali M, Puglisi G, Leonetti A, Simone L, Bello L, Cerri G. Negative motor responses to direct electrical stimulation: Behavioral assessment hides different effects on muscles. Cortex. 2021 Apr;137:194-204. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.01.005. Epub 2021 Jan 29.
• Vigano L, Howells H, Rossi M, Rabuffetti M, Puglisi G, Leonetti A, Bellacicca A, Conti Nibali M, Gay L, Sciortino T, Cerri G, Bello L, Fornia L. Stimulation of frontal pathways disrupts hand muscle control during object manipulation. Brain. 2022 May 24;145(4):1535-1550. doi: 10.1093/brain/awab379.
• Zhao Z, Wang X, Fan M, Yin D, Sun L, Jia J, Tang C, Zheng X, Jiang Y, Wu J, Gong J. Altered Effective Connectivity of the Primary Motor Cortex in Stroke: A Resting-State fMRI Study with Granger Causality Analysis. PLoS One. 2016 Nov 15;11(11):e0166210. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166210. eCollection 2016.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 7, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 28, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 28, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 28, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 18, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): April 24, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 24, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 18, 2024
• Last Verified: April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Glioma; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neurosurgery; Neurological Rehabilitation; Neuronal Plasticity; Antineoplastic Protocols; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Motor Rehabilitation; Chemotherapy, Neoadjuvant; Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Functional Connectomics; Structural Connectomics; Higher Nervous Activity
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial; Neuroectodermal Tumors; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue; Glioma
• Other Study ID Numbers: Progetto AIRC IG-2022 ID 27184

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No