Journal article
The Post-Anaesthesia N-acetylcysteine Cognitive Evaluation (PANACEA) trial: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
DR Skvarc, OM Dean, LK Byrne, LJ Gray, K Ives, SE Lane, M Lewis, C Osborne, R Page, D Stupart, A Turner, M Berk, AJ Marriott
Trials | BMC | Published : 2016
Abstract
Background: Some degree of cognitive decline after surgery occurs in as many as one quarter of elderly surgical patients, and this decline is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Cognition may be affected across a range of domains, including memory, psychomotor skills, and executive function. Whilst the exact mechanisms of cognitive change after surgery are not precisely known, oxidative stress and subsequent neuroinflammation have been implicated. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) acts via multiple interrelated mechanisms to influence oxidative homeostasis, neuronal transmission, and inflammation. NAC has been shown to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in both human and animal mod..
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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of research coordinator Belinda Wakefield and Dr Seetal Dodd to the trial design. We thank Dr Ajeet Singh for his contribution to the initial discussions that identified NAC as a potential therapeutic agent. The financial support of the Sydney Parker Smith bequest group and the CRC for Mental Health and in-kind support from BioMedica Australia and CogState Australia is gratefully acknowledged. The authors further acknowledge the World Health Organisation for granting permission to use the WHOQOL-BREF, and Dr Inouye for granting permission to use the CAM. MB is supported by a NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship (1059660).