The relationship between general anesthesia and postoperative behavioral and cognitive change / 中国医师进修杂志

ABSTRACT

General anesthetics can act on the central nervous system (CNS) which was considered to have short-term consequences or in other words, the actions were reversible. However, recently, accumulating preclinical evidence has shown that anesthetics do produce long-term alterations in brain function, especially in infants, young children and the elderly. And consequently, altered behavior or cognition level, which clinically can be manifested as negative postoperative behavioral change, postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction, may occur following general anesthesia. This review is mainly about the research progress of neurotoxicity of general anesthetics to the developing and the aged brain, common clinical manifestations caused by altered postoperative behavior or cognition and their preventive measures.