Does Preoperative Cognitive Optimization Improve Postoperative Outcomes in the Elderly?

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Perioperative neurocognitive disorder (PND) is a significant concern for millions of elderly patients annually.
• Effective prevention strategies for PND are currently lacking.
• Preoperative cognitive optimization shows promise for improving postoperative cognitive function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current knowledge on preoperative cognitive optimization for preventing PND.
• To highlight landmark and ongoing studies in this rapidly evolving field.
• To discuss the role of cognitive training in elderly populations, including those with cognitive impairment.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on preoperative cognitive optimization.
• Examination of preclinical evidence related to cognitive training and brain plasticity.
• Analysis of studies on cognitive training in non-surgical elderly and those with dementia.

Main Results:

• Preoperative brain exercise has been shown to decrease postoperative delirium incidence in elderly surgical patients.
• Cognitive training demonstrates benefits in non-surgical elderly populations.
• Preclinical evidence supports cognitive training's role in understanding brain plasticity and PND pathophysiology.

Conclusions:

• Presurgical cognitive optimization shows positive impacts on postoperative cognitive outcomes.
• Further studies are essential to develop and validate effective cognitive training programs for elderly presurgical patients.
• The field of cognitive optimization for PND prevention is rapidly expanding.