National Institute on Aging 5R01AG090600-02

Examining CSF and Blood Biomarkers to Gain Insight into Postoperative Delirium and Neurocognitive Dysfunction

The award funds a study to analyze cerebrospinal fluid and blood biomarkers in surgical patients to understand and mitigate postoperative delirium and neurocognitive dysfunction, with implications for Alzheimer's disease research.

Description

This study will provide an incredibly unique resource of serial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood samples from surgical patients to examine pathways leading to postoperative delirium and neurocognitive dysfunction, which may have relevance to understanding the pathophysiology of long-term cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Relevant domains (and associated measurable biomarkers) that will be examined include baseline risk (β-amyloid, tau, phosphorylated tau, neurofilament light), blood brain barrier injury (CSF/blood albumin ratio, platelet derived growth factor receptor-β), neuroinflammation (cytokines/chemokines, markers of microglial activation), neuronal injury (neurofilament light, tau), and astrocyte injury/astrocytosis (glial fibrillary acidic protein). The results will also provide insight into the utility of blood-based biomarkers to identify high-risk patients and optimize perioperative care to reduce postoperative delirium and neurocognitive dysfunction.

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