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CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The aging brain can be vulnerable to cognitive problems following a surgery. In people older than 60, about one in 10 experience deficits in learning, memory and executive function. Doctor Grace Lyu with the U of I’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Comparative Biosciences is working to change that.
Lyu said older patients can experience these problems more severely — and longer — than other patients. She added that it impacts their quality of life and their independence.
The researchers worked to investigate if a compound, called MP-III-022, could help prevent cognitive deficits after a surgery. Lyu said they did surgery on aged mice — some of which were given the compound — and found that the mice which had been given the treatment saw less severe cognitive deficits.
Lyu said she was interested in pursuing this research because surgery is more common in older patients, and they seem to be more impacted by long-lasting cognitive impairments.