Li W, Ye ZY, Zhao JQ. Retrospective analysis cognitive function changes in elderly depressive patients after gastrointestinal tumor surgery and exploration of cholinergic mechanism. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(3): 115910 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i3.115910]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jian-Qin Zhao, Associate Chief Nurse, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 1055 Sanxiang Road, Suzhou 215004, Jiangsu Province, China. zhaojianqin2023@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Retrospective Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Mar 27, 2026 (publication date) through Mar 30, 2026
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Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
ISSN
1948-9366
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Li W, Ye ZY, Zhao JQ. Retrospective analysis cognitive function changes in elderly depressive patients after gastrointestinal tumor surgery and exploration of cholinergic mechanism. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(3): 115910 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i3.115910]
World J Gastrointest Surg. Mar 27, 2026; 18(3): 115910 Published online Mar 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i3.115910
Retrospective analysis cognitive function changes in elderly depressive patients after gastrointestinal tumor surgery and exploration of cholinergic mechanism
Wen Li, Zhen-Yu Ye, Jian-Qin Zhao
Wen Li, The Cath Lab of Interventional Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215004, Jiangsu Province, China
Zhen-Yu Ye, Jian-Qin Zhao, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215004, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Li W was responsible for research design, data organization, and paper writing; Ye ZY assist in data collection and manuscript proofreading; Zhao JQ coordinate research, revise final drafts, and engage in academic communication; all authors have read and agreed to the final published version.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82372636.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University [Approval No. EC2020(042)].
Informed consent statement: All study participants and their legal guardians provided written informed consent prior to study enrolment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Jian-Qin Zhao, Associate Chief Nurse, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 1055 Sanxiang Road, Suzhou 215004, Jiangsu Province, China. zhaojianqin2023@163.com
Received: November 28, 2025 Revised: December 26, 2025 Accepted: January 8, 2026 Published online: March 27, 2026 Processing time: 119 Days and 3.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Data from 95 older patients with depression who had gastrointestinal tumor surgery, were retrospectively analyzed, and there was an incidence of post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) of 36.84%, seven days post-operatively. Advanced age, high pre-operative Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score, long duration of surgery, intra-operative anticholinergics, and high post-operative interleukin-6 (IL-6) change rate were independent risk factors for POCD. Mechanistically, pre-operative depression exacerbated systemic inflammation (via IL-6) and impaired cholinergic function (via reduced cholinesterase), jointly increasing the risk of POCD, with the two mediating effects accounting for 19.7% and 17.2% of the total effect, respectively. These findings provide a basis for the targeted prevention of POCD.
