Recent work by van Kessel and colleagues67 found that tumor associated gene expression and effects on local metabolic processes are related to the cognitive effects of glial tumors; for example, expression of markers involved in synaptic function and plasticity (e.g. semaphorin-3A and neuroligin-3A) was associated with better neurocognitive performance, independently of the size, grade, and location of the tumors. The gene discussed is SEMA3A; the disease is glioma.