• Qiang Liu, Hai-Bi Wang, Jia-Tao Lin, Xin-Hao Jiao, Yan-Ping Liu, Tian-Zuo Li, Zhongcong Xie, Cheng-Hua Zhou, Yu-Qing Wu, and Hui-Hui Miao.
• Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anaesthesiology/NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, PR China; Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, PR China.
• Br J Anaesth. 2025 Feb 4.

BackgroundMemory decline is one of the main manifestations in perioperative neurocognitive disorder. Short-term memory (STM) to long-term memory (LTM) transformation is one aspect of memory consolidation. Early-phase long-term potentiation (E-LTP) to late-phase long-term potentiation (L-LTP) is the molecular correlate of STM to LTM transformation. We examined whether the STM to LTM transformation was impaired after anaesthesia and surgery in older mice.MethodsOptogenetics and chemogenetics were used to confirm the role of Vglut1+ glutamatergic neurones in the STM to LTM transformation in older mice. Synaptosomes were isolated to analyse expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Golgi-Cox staining and hippocampal field potential recordings were also used to measure synaptic plasticity.ResultsWe found that the STM to LTM and E-LTP to L-LTP transformations were impaired after anaesthesia and surgery in older mice, and Vglut1+ excitatory neurone activity in the hippocampal CA1 region was reduced. BDNF expression decreased in the postsynaptic fraction, especially in Vglut1+ neurones, whereas cell-type specific overexpression of BDNF in Vglut1+ neurones reversed postoperative STM to LTM transformation dysfunction in older mice.ConclusionsReduced BDNF expression was involved in anaesthesia and surgery-induced impairment of the STM to LTM transition involving glutamatergic neurones in the hippocampal CA1 region of older mice. This provides a potential target that might be helpful for understanding and developing treatments for postoperative neurocognitive dysfunction.Copyright © 2025 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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