Exploration of Neuroimaging and Biochemical Prognostic Indicators for Post-operative Cognitive Dysfunction After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is one of the most common complications in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. POCD will not only increase the incidence of complications and mortality, but also influence the quality of life after discharging from the hospital. Many factors are associated with POCD, such as neuroinflammation, age, anesthetics, surgery stress response and genetic factors. But the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) fMRI, which could monitor the peripheral neuron spontaneous activity according to the ratio of oxyhemoglobin and deaeration hemoglobin in blood, will be used to investigate whether POCD is induced by the variance in neurons metabolism and spontaneous activity in brain regions. Meanwhile, biochemical indicators will be detected to explore the prompting indicators of POCD. The present study is aimed to represent a promising precursory target for diagnosis and treatment of POCD, and provide novel evidence and insights on the brain changes induced by POCD.