Abstract
Cognitive epidemiology investigates cognitive predictors of health and disease outcomes. Post-operative cognitive impairment is a common complication of surgery but has been neglected as a health outcome in cognitive epidemiology research. This is despite the fact that knowledge of cognitive predictors of post-operative cognitive impairment can be utilized for risk stratification, informed decision-making (in elective surgery), and personalized care of patients during the postoperative period. In this narrative review, the current literature on cognitive predictors of post-operative cognitive impairment and gaps therein are summarized.
Highlights
Post-operative cognitive impairment is a common complication of surgery but has been neglected as a health outcome in cognitive epidemiology research
Associations of cognitive reserve parameters with Post-operative delirium (POD) and post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) risk from studies of any design will be summarized, differences that emerge for these two outcomes will be drawn out, and knowledge gaps will be highlighted for future systematic examination in view to stimulate further research
It appears that the link of education with POD may be weaker as compared with its association with POCD, or it may be absent
Summary
Cognitive epidemiology is a growing research field that addresses individual differences in intelligence at its peak level in early adulthood, i.e., prior to any ageing- or disease-associated declines, ( termed ‘pre-morbid IQ’) as a candidate risk factor for health and disease outcomes (Deary and Batty 2007; Deary 2012). Short of actual measurement (like in birth cohorts), pre-morbid IQ can be estimated ‘post-hoc’ at any point across the lifespan by performance on vocabulary tests (Bright and van der Linde 2020). This is because vocabulary is a ‘crystallized’ ability (Cattell 1963) and as such immune to declines (Crawford et al 2001).
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