Airah Barron

ISM- Period 7

Seitz, Dallas P, et al. “Exposure to General Anesthesia and Risk of Alzheimer's Disease: a

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” BMC Geriatrics, BioMed Central, 14 Dec.

2011, bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2318-11-83.

 Alzheimer’s is very common with older people and can lead to several disadvantages
 Anesthetic gases have been conjectured to be a catalyst for developing dementia
 During the research and analysis conducted there was no evident correlation between
anesthesia and dementia
 Alzheimer’s or dementia have statistics of affecting 13% of adults who are 65 years or
older
 Short term memory loss has been prevalent post-surgery with patients, with patients
forgetting over a couple of days at a time
 Short term memory loss after surgery is known as POCD
 Inhalational anesthetics have recently been presumed to be the source of POCD however
this is still relatively vague
 Inhalational anesthetics have shown an increase in catalysts for POCD and/or dementia
 The few tests that have occurred has proven no linkage with anesthesia and dementia
under a 2-year span
 There has yet to be a randomized and controlled trial for finding a linkage between
dementia and POCD
 Although reviews have been released, there is limited evidence for any conclusions
 A hip fracture surgery found regional anesthesia had less POCD impact than general
anesthesia
 Sometimes patients will self-diagnose with dementia when in reality other cognitive
changes can occur such as delirium as based from POCD
 Delirium is said to be a cognitive disturbance or blockage which can occur after the
patient has woken up and can last for several days
 POCD can reappear randomly after a surgery and can in some cases last as long as 5
years
 The cognitive changes shown with POCD aren’t strong enough to hypothesize a linkage
with dementia
 Delirium is a short and revocable lack of attentiveness and perception which affects a
large scope of the older patient population
 For patients already diagnosed as having dementia there is a higher risk for developing
delirium

This source was very in depth about the vague and broad spectrum for a still undefined
correlation between dementia and anesthesia, it aids in bringing forth a resolution between other
possible sources for dementia as well as the effects anesthesia has on older patients.
 Airah Barron
ISM- Period 7

Brisbourne , Robin. “Why Do Some People Get Dementia and Not Others? .” Defeating

Dementia, 21 July 2015, www.dementiablog.org/why-do-some-people-get-dementia/.

 Although age plays a large factor in developing dementia there are also numerous health
and genetic factors involved
 Cognitive reserve is the brain’s own immunity to damage
 Cognitive reserve is described as rearranging the path of various signals through thought-
provoking activities
 It’s said that people with higher brain activity during childhood have less of a risk of
developing dementia or cognitive problems
 Someone with a family member who has dementia could be a carrier of the gene if the
mutation is present in their DNA
 People who are carrier for the gene could be carrying gene known as a APOE4 which
puts them at 3 times greater risk of developing dementia
 Studies suggest the amount of grey matter might have a correlation with carriers of
APOE4, the lesser the amount the greater the risk
 Sleep can also play a role in the development of dementia
 A lack of good rest can affect the manner in which humans are capable of storing
memories and could also inhibit oxygen to the brain
 Studies also suggest people with type 2 diabetes who break down carbohydrates much
faster, showcased brain reduction during an MRI
 From research, it was concluded African Americans and Hispanics are two of the most
prone races to develop dementia; this could be due to greater vascular disease within
them
 There are certain healthy lifestyle choices which can aid in preventing the disease, such
as staying away from alcohol, smoking, and maintaining a healthy and consistent diet and
exercise
 Although avoiding certain risk factors can aid in the prevention of the disease, there are
times when it can be predisposed
 Women are estimated to outnumber men who have dementia or a cognitive impairment,
this can be due to a lack of estrogen which is lost during menopause
 People who have been diagnosed with depression are at higher risk for developing
dementia, yet for someone who is older this can be depicted as an early sign instead of a
contributing factor

This source thoroughly informs the reader of the people who are most prone to developing
dementia or a decline in their cognitive activity, it also outlines the possible risk factors as well
as the predisposed genetics, and helps bring forth an educated guess on how someone can reduce
the risk of developing it.
 Airah Barron
ISM- Period 7

Storrs, Carina. “The Hidden Dangers of Going Under.” Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2014,

www.scientificamerican.com/article/hidden-dangers-of-going-under/.

 An 81-year-old woman who underwent spinal surgery under general anesthesia began
hallucinating the night after her operation
 The nightmare she experienced was defined as an indicator of post-surgery delirium
 Post-surgery delirium is defined as experiencing memory loss and as well as confusion
after undergoing surgery
 The delirium is expected to disappear after a couple of days, however there have been
instances where people have had long term effects
 Even when doctors are aware of the delirium and confusing which can be seen post-
surgery, they have hypothesized inhalational anesthetics are not the source for the
development of dementia
 There are other factors doctors are interested in more such as the health of patient as well
as stress and anxiety
 Recent studies have shown that even if the patients perplexity disappears, memory and
cognitive awareness can take months to recover
 Local anesthesia is considered the most common and mild which can numb a small area
for a small procedure
 Regional anesthesia helps block nerve signals to the brain for a large area of the body
through an injection in the spine
 Propofol plays a key role as a tranquillizing agent by modifying brain activity and
making the patient less conscious
 General anesthesia is most commonly used during surgeries and it makes patients
completely unconscious and induces them into a state of amnesia
 The drugs and narcotics are proven to be effective by binding to the proteins of neurons
which regulate cognitive aspects such as learning, sleep, and remembering
 Recent studies have shown no correlation between a specific anesthetic and a downfall
for dementia
 Researchers and doctors hypothesize factors such as age and being predisposed to certain
mental health deficits can be significant catalyst for dementia after surgery
 Researchers believe the greater the amount of anesthesia and time spent under the
influence, the greater the risk for developing dementia

This source is very well informed of the effects of anesthesia on the brain as well as the
hypothesized causes for cognitive deterioration, while it does not determine whether
anesthesia is linked to dementia, it aids in bringing a resolution for other possible catalysts
for it.