Dementia discovery explains link between delirium after surgery, cognitive decline
UVA Health researchers have discovered how a form of delirium that often strikes older patients after surgery may set the stage for dementia—and identified a drug that could reverse the underlying brain changes.
UVA researchers have uncovered how anesthesia, surgery, and intensive care stress contribute to postoperative delirium, which can lead to long-term cognitive decline in older adults. Nadia Lunardi, M.D., Ph.D., and her colleagues found that these stresses alter gene activity in aged mice brains, disrupting memory formation and the biological clock.
This disruption results in cognitive impairment and sleep disturbances similar to those seen in postoperative delirium. However, the FDA-approved drug vorinostat can reverse these harmful changes. Mice given vorinostat before exposure to anesthesia, surgery, and stress showed improved neuronal structure and cognitive performance.
Postoperative delirium affects millions of older adults worldwide, increasing hospital stays, complications, and the risk of subsequent cognitive decline. The study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, hopes to pave the way for new strategies to prevent the condition and reduce long-term cognitive decline risk in vulnerable older patients.
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