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Editorial
. 2022 Jun;128(6):897-900.
doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2022.02.028. Epub 2022 Mar 24.

Realising the potential of functional imaging to reveal brain changes after anaesthesia and surgery

James W Ibinson  1 , Minjie Wu  2
Affiliations
Free article
Editorial

Realising the potential of functional imaging to reveal brain changes after anaesthesia and surgery

James W Ibinson et al. Br J Anaesth. 2022 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

We highlight the ability of functional brain imaging to detect changes in human brain function, even when changes are not seen in cognitive testing. These imaging changes are plausible as they correlate with known activity changes in carriers of APOE4, a genetic variant associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. However, to realise the potential of functional imaging for perioperative neurocognitive disorders, collaborations similar to the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) with open data sharing will be required. For the practicing anaesthesiologist, we believe that postoperative cognitive issues are important topics to discuss during the informed consent process.

Keywords: APOE4; Alzheimer's disease; cerebrospinal fluid; functional MRI; intrinsic functional connectivity; neuroimaging; perioperative neurocognitive disorders; surgery.

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