A narrative review of the impact of cerebellar dysfunction and sleep disturbances after general anesthesia in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the main causes of dementia in the senium and presenium, which is clinically characterized by memory loss, decreased intelligence and loss of fine motor skills. The cerebellum is a key part of distributed neural circuits, not only involved in motor functions, but also in autonomic nervous, limbic and cognitive behaviors. Motor cerebellar lesions may cause movement disorders, and cognitive and limbic cerebellar lesions in the posterior lobe may cause intellectual and emotional sensory disorders. Cerebellar dysfunction or sleep disturbances may aggravate neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, and they are is important factors in promoting AD. Several studies have shown that general anesthesia is the loss of consciousness induced by general anesthetics, which may be neurotoxic and could cause various long-term behavioral disorders. However, clinical experience regarding the association between AD and the effect of general anesthesia on the cerebellum and sleep quality still remains limited. In our narrative review, we reviewed the effect of general anesthesia on AD-related proteins. In addition, we also provide a comprehensive review of the effects of cerebellar dysfunction and postoperative sleep disturbances after general anesthesia on AD. Large-scale, multicenter trials are still needed to provide early identification and intervention to improve the postoperative recovery of patients.