[Inflammation-relevant mechanisms for postoperative cognitive dysfunction and the preventive strategy].

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is thought to be a mild cognitive disorder. It means that patients without cognitive diseases before surgery suffer from subtle changes in psychomotility, personality, social skills and cognitive function after the surgery. A decline in memory is the core characteristics of these symptoms. POCD is mainly seen in the elderly people following surgery. It can prolong hospital stay, reduce quality of life, increase mortality, and thus aggravate the burden of public health. It is urgent to take precautions to reduce the incidence. The precise mechanism of POCD remains unclear. Previous studies have shown that inflammation plays an important role in it. Sterile surgery can result in peripheral inflammation. Through several pathways, the signals from the peripheral immune response were sent to central system. Due to the individual difference, the degree of the central neuroinflammation was also heterogeneous. Some inflammations may lead to the occurrence of POCD. In order to prevent POCD, we should focus on the anti-inflammatory therapy.