journal articles
PRE-SURGICAL MEMORY IMPAIRMENT IS ASSOCIATED WITH RISK OF POSTOPERATIVE COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN A LARGE GERIATRIC COHORT
Kiri T. Granger, Claudia Spies, Sheryl Caswell, Daniel Hadzidiakos, Saya Speidel, Arjen JC Slooter, Ilse Kant, Sophie K Piper, Simone JT van Montfort, Jennifer H. Barnett, Paula M. Moran, Friedrich Borchers
J Aging Res & Lifestyle 2025;14
Some patients undergoing surgical procedures display long-term post-surgery cognitive impairment (post-operative cognitive dysfunction; POCD), which may precipitate progression to dementia. We investigated whether preoperative cognitive impairment defined using specific cognitive tests (Paired-Associates Learning and Spatial-Span from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, (CANTAB) was associated with increased risk of POCD. N = 590 patients >65years and a matched control group n=114 comprised the final sample. Patients were classified as impaired if a composite memory-score derived from two tests from the CANTAB test battery (spatial working memory and paired-associate learning) scored 1 SD below norms derived from a normative database. Risk of developing POCD 3 months post-surgery was higher [odds ratio 2.048 (95% CI 1.027 – 4.087)] for those with pre-surgical cognitive impairment compared to those with no impairment. This suggests that impairment on hippocampus-based tasks spatial-span memory and paired-associates learning is associated with increased risk for POCD in older surgical patients.
CITATION:
Kiri T. Granger ; Claudia Spies ; Sheryl Caswell ; Daniel Hadzidiakos ; Saya Speidel ; Arjen JC Slooter ; Ilse Kant ; Sophie K Piper ; Simone JT van Montfort ; Jennifer H. Barnett ; Paula M. Moran ; Friedrich Borchers (2025): Pre-surgical memory impairment is associated with risk of postoperative cognitive dysfunction in a large geriatric cohort. The Journal of Aging and Lifestyle (JARLife). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarlif.2025.100002