Perioperative neurocognitive and functional neuroimaging trajectories in older APOE4 carriers compared with non-carriers: secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study.

Background: Cognitive dysfunction after surgery is a major issue in older adults. Here, we determined the effect of APOE4 on perioperative neurocognitive function in older patients.

Methods: We enrolled 140 English-speaking patients ≥60 yr old scheduled for noncardiac surgery under general anaesthesia in an observational cohort study, of whom 52 underwent neuroimaging.