Dr. Catherine Price in the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration was awarded a large NIH R01 this week to study post-operative cognitive dysfunction.
A summary of the Research is Below:
Older adults are at increased risk for experiencing acute and long-term cognitive after major non-cardiac surgery such as total knee replacement. Other than the effect of age alone, there are no known mechanisms for this risk. This is alarming, for post operative cognitive dysfunction represents a form of un-necessary cognitive decline that may accelerate neurodegenerative processes. Our team will use sophisticated methodological approaches to assess hypotheses regarding the predictive value of presurgery neuroimaging biomarkers on type of post-operative cognitive decline after total knee replacement. Patients (n=80) and non-surgery peers (n=80) will be assessed in a longitudinal study examining neuroimaging predictors of change at three-weeks, three-months, and one-year post surgery/post baseline. The long-term goals of our team are to 1) identify preoperative variables that increase risk for acute and irreversible cognitive decline after surgery and 2) use this information to design peri-operative interventions for patients with specific neuronal risk profiles.