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Odor Enrichment Mitigates Surgery-Induced Cognitive Impairment

Patients with delayed neurocognitive recovery (DNCR) exhibited worse odor identification compared to those without DNCR. Anesthesia/surgery induced olfactory and cognitive impairment, increased levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), reduced olfactory receptor neurons and synapses in mice. Odor enrichment and IL-6 antibody alleviated these effects. The study suggests that anesthesia/surgery-induced olfactory impairment may contribute to DNCR in patients and postoperative cognitive impairment in mice. Odor enrichment could be a potential intervention for mitigating these cognitive impairments.

Journal Article by Zhang C, Han Y (…) Xie Z et 11 al. in Ann Surg

Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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