Why do older people develop dementia after surgery?

Lead Investigator: Dr Daqing Ma
Institution: Imperial College London
Grant type: Project
Duration: 2 years
Amount: £139,418

Scientific Title: Novel strategies to prevent early onset of Alzheimer's disease induced by surgery

What do we already know?

It is common for older people to experience cognitive problems after undergoing surgery, and some then develop dementia.  It is thought that this is linked to inflammation in the brain although the biology of this is not understood.

Research in mice indicates that surgery could cause changes to the amyloid protein, which is involved in Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers have also seen some improvements in mouse symptoms when they are treated with a statin drug after surgery.

What does this project involve?

Dr Daqing Ma is continuing to investigate how surgery might be linked to dementia.

The research involves working with mouse models of Alzheimer's disease to see if surgery speeds up the development of amyloid plaques and tangles in the brain.

The researchers will then test whether two drugs could prevent the effect of surgery. The two drugs to be tested are a statin and the active ingredient of the herbal remedy Celastrol.

How will this benefit people with dementia?

Depending on the outcome, the next phase of this research would be a clinical trial in humans.

This work could help us understand why some people develop cognitive decline after undergoing surgery.

 This project is jointly funded by Alzheimer's Society and the Bupa foundation