A pioneering study now under way at the Mount Sinai Health System’s Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute is exploring why older patients often wake up from surgery disoriented and some experience cognitive deficits several months later. The study is being led at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with $3.1 million in funding from The National Institute on Aging.

Researchers from Mount Sinai and the Yale School of Medicine will use cognitive tests and Mount Sinai’s state-of-the-art imaging technology to examine the effects of two commonly used anesthesia drugs, propofol and sevoflurane, on 76 volunteers ages 40 to 80. The researchers will look at cognition and physiological changes that may be brought about by anesthesia. They will also determine whether inflammation from surgery—not the anesthesia drugs—causes cognitive impairment.

“We see it all the time, the patient looks normal after surgery, but 45 minutes later he doesn’t remember anything. Most recover very quickly, but some still have cognitive problems months after their surgery,” says Dr. Silverstein.

About 10 to 15 percent of elderly patients experience decreased cognitive function, including loss of memory and problem-solving, three months after surgery.

The researchers, comprised of anesthesiologists, psychologists, radiologists, and bioengineers, also will explore predictive signs to learn which individuals will experience cognitive impairment post-surgery, and for how long.

Such predictions may result in doctors keeping certain patients in the hospital for a longer period to recuperate.

Families will benefit from the study, as well, by learning prior to surgery whether their family member would not be able to work for a period of time, and would need help at home during recovery.

Cheuk Y. Tang, PhD, Associate Professor of Radiology, and Psychiatry, at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and a lead investigator in the study, says the research will utilize the best-in-class technology housed at the Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute. “Mount Sinai is the best place to do this important project,” says Dr. Tang.

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