Personalized risk prediction of postoperative cognitive impairment – rationale for the EU-funded BioCog project

• Published in: European psychiatry Vol. 50; pp. 34 - 39
• Main Authors: Winterer, G., Androsova, G., Bender, O., Boraschi, D., Borchers, F., Dschietzig, T.B., Feinkohl, I., Fletcher, P., Gallinat, J., Hadzidiakos, D., Haynes, J.D., Heppner, F., Hetzer, S., Hendrikse, J., Ittermann, B., Kant, I.M.J., Kraft, A., Krannich, A., Krause, R., Kühn, S., Lachmann, G., van Montfort, S.J.T., Müller, A., Nürnberg, P., Ofosu, K., Pietsch, M., Pischon, T., Preller, J., Renzulli, E., Scheurer, K., Schneider, R., Slooter, A.J.C., Spies, C., Stamatakis, E., Volk, H.D., Weber, S., Wolf, A., Yürek, F., Zacharias, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Masson SAS 01-04-2018
• Subjects: Biomarkers; Cognitive Dysfunction - diagnosis; Cognitive Dysfunction - etiology; Europe; European Union; Humans; Molecular biomarkers; Multivariate prediction algorithm; Neuroimaging; Postoperative cognitive dysfunction; Postoperative Complications - diagnosis; Postoperative delirium; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Europe; Neuroimaging; Multivariate prediction algorithm; Postoperative delirium; Postoperative cognitive dysfunction; Molecular biomarkers
• ISSN: 0924-9338; 1778-3585
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.10.004

Postoperative cognitive impairment is among the most common medical complications associated with surgical interventions – particularly in elderly patients. In our aging society, it is an urgent medical need to determine preoperative individual risk prediction to allow more accurate cost–benefit decisions prior to elective surgeries. So far, risk prediction is mainly based on clinical parameters. However, these parameters only give a rough estimate of the individual risk. At present, there are no molecular or neuroimaging biomarkers available to improve risk prediction and little is known about the etiology and pathophysiology of this clinical condition. In this short review, we summarize the current state of knowledge and briefly present the recently started BioCog project (Biomarker Development for Postoperative Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly), which is funded by the European Union. It is the goal of this research and development (R&D) project, which involves academic and industry partners throughout Europe, to deliver a multivariate algorithm based on clinical assessments as well as molecular and neuroimaging biomarkers to overcome the currently unsatisfying situation.