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A Mouse Model of Orthopedic Surgery to Study Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction and Tissue Regeneration
Published on: February 27, 2018
Association between BDNF and postoperative cognitive dysfunction across surgical stages: a systematic review and
Danyan Liang1,2, Xiaodong Wang3, Yi Qiu1,3
1School of Public Health, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
|August 7, 2026
Summary
Lower intraoperative brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels are associated with postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). Intraoperative BDNF changes may serve as an exploratory biomarker for POCD risk.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Research
Background:
- Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common complication, especially in older adults, with unclear mechanisms.
- Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) influences neuronal survival and plasticity, but its role in POCD is debated due to inconsistent findings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the association between perioperative BDNF levels and POCD.
- To evaluate BDNF levels and changes (ΔBDNF) across different surgical time points (preoperative, intraoperative, postoperative).
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines.
- Searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus for observational studies.
- Included 6 studies with 135 POCD patients and 247 controls; assessed quality using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
Main Results:
- Lower intraoperative BDNF levels were found in the POCD group (MD = -5.62, 95% CI[-8.95, -2.29]).
- Reduced intraoperative ΔBDNF was also observed in the POCD group (MD = -9.73, 95% CI[-16.08, -3.38]).
- Subgroup analysis suggested surgery type influences postoperative BDNF heterogeneity.
Conclusions:
- Intraoperative BDNF levels and their dynamic changes may be preliminary exploratory biomarkers for POCD.
- The intraoperative period is critical for BDNF monitoring.
- Prospective studies are needed to validate BDNF's utility for screening high-risk POCD patients.
