The neuropsychological concepts of postoperative cognitive dysfunction study

Background The elderly are the fastest growing segment of the population.In the aging society,elderly surgical patients are increasing,and postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) gains intensive attention of anesthesiologists.The POCD diagnosis is a diagnosis of exclusion,while the anesthesiologists have limited understanding about the neuropsychological concepts concerning POCD.Objective To comprehensively introduce the neuropsychological concepts concerning POCD,deepen the understanding of the diagnosis of POCD and to provide references for its clinical research.Content According to diagnosis and statistical manual of mental disorders,4th edition (DSM-Ⅳ),POCD is a special type of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).To diagnosis the POCD,we need not only to exclude obvious neurological and psychiatric disorders,such as alzheimer's disease(AD),delirium,but also to identify other mild cognitive impairment,like depression,vascular cognitive impairment and so on.In this article,the research progress of neuropsychological concepts associated with POCD,such as MCI,normal aging,delirium,depression and AD were reviewed.Trend POCD research needs neuropsychology and multi-disciplinary subject knowledge.Different expertise's collaborations between neuropsychiatrists and anesthesiologists are urgently needed. Key words: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction;  Mild cognitive impairment;  Normal aging