Human study · Aging · 11 Nov 2026
In an older adult cohort of 616, plasma markers after surgery lined up with delirium and later cognitive decline
Source: GeroScience
What the research found
A two-cohort paper was published on 11 November 2026. Plasma profiling of 447 inflammation and neuronal-injury markers covered an older adult cohort of 616. The surgical cohort had 88 people, with samples before elective surgery, on day 1, and on day 30. 330 markers shifted on day 1 and 230 were still shifted on day 30. Day 1 was dominated by systemic inflammation. Day 30 had a broader neuronal-injury pattern, including EN-RAGE, NEFL, and PAEP. Delirium occurred in 26 of 88 (30 percent). A twelve-marker time course moved with delirium. In a separate memory-clinic cohort of 528 people followed for 4 years, 6 of those 12 also lined up with brain atrophy, small-vessel change, and cognitive decline: NEFL, TNFRSF10B, PLA2G10, SLC39A14, TNFRSF10A, and GGT5. The abstract does not give sex. These are associations in two cohorts, not a treatment. DOI 10.1007/s11357-026-02563-7. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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