Impaired Spatial Learning Memory after Isoflurane Anesthesia or Appendectomy in Aged Mice is Associated with Microglia Activation

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) has been one of the most common problems in elderly patients following surgery. But the specific mechanism of POCD is still not clear. To further understand the reason of these postoperative behavioral deficits, we evaluated the spatial learning memory of both adult (3 months) and aged (18 months) male mice, 3 or 28 days after isoflurane (Iso) exposure for two hours or appendectomy (App). Hippocampal microglia activation and IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ expression were also evaluated at day 3, day 14 and day 28 after Iso exposure or appendectomy. Results showed that spatial learning memory of aged, but not adult, mice was impaired after Iso exposure or appendectomy, accompanied with more hippocampal microglia activation and IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ overexpression. These findings suggest that the cognitive deficits of elderly patients who have undergone surgeries are quite possibly caused by hippocampal microglia overactivation and the subsequent inflammation.