Daily locomotor activity declines with tumor growth and disease progression in glioblastoma

Maria F. Gonzalez-Aponte; Sofia V. Salvatore; Anna R. Damato; Ruth G.N. Katumba; Grayson R. Talcott; Omar H. Butt; Jian L. Campian; Jingqin Luo; Joshua B. Rubin; Olivia J. Walch; Erik D. Herzog

doi:10.1172/jci.insight.194582

Daily locomotor activity declines with tumor growth and disease progression in glioblastoma

Maria F. Gonzalez-Aponte,¹ Sofia V. Salvatore,² Anna R. Damato,² Ruth G.N. Katumba,³ Grayson R. Talcott,³ Omar H. Butt,³ Jian L. Campian,⁴ Jingqin Luo,⁵ Joshua B. Rubin,⁶ Olivia J. Walch,⁷ and Erik D. Herzog²

Published November 25, 2025 - More info

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Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor that often progresses despite resection and treatment. Timely and continuous assessment of GBM progression is critical to expedite secondary surgery or enrollment in clinical trials. However, current progression detection requires costly and specialized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which, in the absence of new symptoms or signs, is usually scheduled every 2 to 3 months. Here, we hypothesized that changes in daily activity associate with GBM growth and disease progression. We found that wheel-running activity in GBM-bearing mice declined as tumors grew, and preceded weight loss and circadian breakdown by over a week. Temozolomide treatment in the morning, but not evening, significantly reduced tumor size and restored daily locomotion in mice. In a pilot study of six GBM patients wearing an actigraphy watch, wrist movement provided a feasible and continuous longitudinal indicator of daily activity with one-minute resolution. Following tumor resection and radiation, daily activity declined in two patients 19 and 55 days before detection of progression by MRI, but did not change for the four patients with stable disease. These results suggest that daily activity tracking using wearable devices may serve as a real-time indicator and potential monitoring tool for GBM progression and treatment efficacy.

Daily locomotor activity declines with tumor growth and disease progression in glioblastoma

Maria F. Gonzalez-Aponte,¹ Sofia V. Salvatore,² Anna R. Damato,² Ruth G.N. Katumba,³ Grayson R. Talcott,³ Omar H. Butt,³ Jian L. Campian,⁴ Jingqin Luo,⁵ Joshua B. Rubin,⁶ Olivia J. Walch,⁷ and Erik D. Herzog²

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Daily locomotor activity declines with tumor growth and disease progression in glioblastoma

Maria F. Gonzalez-Aponte,1 Sofia V. Salvatore,2 Anna R. Damato,2 Ruth G.N. Katumba,3 Grayson R. Talcott,3 Omar H. Butt,3 Jian L. Campian,4 Jingqin Luo,5 Joshua B. Rubin,6 Olivia J. Walch,7 and Erik D. Herzog2

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Maria F. Gonzalez-Aponte,¹ Sofia V. Salvatore,² Anna R. Damato,² Ruth G.N. Katumba,³ Grayson R. Talcott,³ Omar H. Butt,³ Jian L. Campian,⁴ Jingqin Luo,⁵ Joshua B. Rubin,⁶ Olivia J. Walch,⁷ and Erik D. Herzog²