Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan.
Aging Cell. 2013 Jun;12(3):523-4. doi: 10.1111/acel.12066. Epub 2013 Apr 2.
Here I comment on the recent contribution by Barrientos et al. J. Neurosci. 32, 14641-14648 (2012) addressing treatment possibilities for surgery-induced cognitive dysfunction. It has been over 15 years since the publication of a landmark study that indicated age as a major risk factor for postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) (Moller et al., Lancet 351, 857-861 1998). With increasing life expectancy, surgical procedures conducted in elderly persons are becoming more common. The prevalence of POCD may mean that some patients will exchange the incapacitating condition that led them to surgery in the first instance for another such condition, which has been created by the surgical procedure itself. The report by Barrientos and collaborators (2012) is a timely and welcome study that further examines treatment possibilities for surgery-induced cognitive dysfunction. Future studies should address issues such as intensity and onset of inflammation within the brain and additional treatments possibilities beyond IL-1-ra.
在这里，我要评论一下最近由 Barrientos 等人在《神经科学杂志》（J. Neurosci.）上发表的一篇文章，该文章探讨了治疗手术引起的认知功能障碍的可能性。自一篇具有里程碑意义的研究报告发表以来，已经过去了 15 多年，该报告指出年龄是术后认知功能障碍（POCD）的一个主要危险因素（Moller 等人，《柳叶刀》（Lancet）351，857-861，1998）。随着预期寿命的延长，在老年人中进行的手术越来越普遍。POCD 的患病率可能意味着一些患者将用手术本身带来的另一种致残状况来取代导致他们首先接受手术的状况。Barrientos 及其同事的报告（2012）是一项及时且受欢迎的研究，进一步探讨了治疗手术引起的认知功能障碍的可能性。未来的研究应该解决大脑内炎症的强度和发病时间等问题，并探索除 IL-1-ra 之外的其他治疗可能性。
