About this Research Topic

Background

Approximately 35% of all surgical procedures are performed on adults older than 65 years and we expected this number to increase over time. The adverse cerebral effects of general anesthesia in older people and cognitive change affecting patients after anesthesia and surgery have been recognized for more than 50 years. Multiple studies used detailed neuropsychological testing for assessment after cardiac and non-cardiac surgery to demonstrate cognitive decline after anesthesia and surgery and their results gain huge attention in the field. Nowadays, from a clinical and a neuroscientific approach, several efforts have tried to understand the pathophysiological mechanism and implications of the perioperative short and long-term neurocognitive disorders (PND). However, the implications of this entity together with its pathogenesis are still not fully understood.

The present Research Topic aims to cover recent advances and discoveries related to PND outcomes with particular interest in innovative approaches for assessing and improving these outcomes. We encourage authors to submit studies, both from animals and human models, with a high-quality neuroscience component. Further clinical neurophysiological studies, as well as modeling studies, are welcome

We are interested in gathering the latest information on pathogenesis, diagnosis, prediction, and treatment of the broad spectrum of PND. Original articles and brief research reports focusing on perioperative neurocognitive disorders may be submitted. We also encourage the submission of topic-related mini-review articles, review articles, systematic review articles, and perspectives articles.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
- Physiopathology mechanisms related to PND
- Studies evaluating the potential relationship between PND and aging brain pathologies, such as Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias
- Brain imaging studies that evaluated markers associated with brain damage and PND
- Neurophysiological studies, using electroencephalogram or magnetoencephalogram to monitor and evaluate brain oscillations related to neurocognitive outcomes
- New therapeutic approaches for managing patients who develop PND
- Computational models and machine learning approaches to predict and estimate the risk to develop PND

Topic Editor Dr. Susanne Koch is an inventor of patents and has received speakers honoraria from Medtronic. Topic Editor Dr. Patrick Purdon is a co-founder of PASCALL Systems Inc and is an inventor of patents pending on brain monitoring technologies and patents licensed non-exclusively to Masimo Corporation both assigned to Massachusetts General Hospital. He has also received speakers honoraria from Masimo Corporation.
The other Topic Editors declare no competing conflicts of interest.

Keywords: Perioperative, Aging, Neurocognitive, Anesthesia, Delirium, Electroencephalogram, Brain dynamics, Neurophisiology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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