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Small study aims to uncover how surgery affects the aging brain

NCT ID NCT07470216

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Edinburgh Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looks at why some older people experience confusion or memory problems after major surgery. Researchers will test 40 patients aged 70 and older before and after colorectal or urological surgery. They will use memory tests and blood samples to see if they can link changes in thinking to details of the anaesthetic. The goal is to see if these research methods work well enough to use in a much larger future study.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If successful, this could pave the way for larger studies aimed at making surgery safer for the brain in older people.
What could go wrong
This is a very small feasibility study with only 40 participants, so it cannot prove any treatment works. It is designed to test research methods, not to find a cure or treatment.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Jul 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Mar 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

We will conduct a prospective, single-centre feasibility cohort study over a period of 24 months, recruiting patients from the Perioperative medicine for Older People having Surgery clinic (POPS) clinic at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, who are scheduled for major surgery. This is a pre-surgery clinic and physician-led inpatient follow up service with discharge planning roles. Note, the nature of the clinical pathway means that patients may wait several months from POPS clinic review until surgery.

Ages

70 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 70 * Seen in the Perioperative medicine for Older People undergoing Surgery (POPS) clinic * Scheduled for colorectal or urological surgery with expected anaesthesia time over 60 minutes Exclusion Criteria: * Regional anaesthesia only * Planned day surgery or expected hospital stay \< 24 hours * Expected to remain sedated and ventilated for \> 24 hours postoperatively * Participant does not wish to remain in the study if capacity is lost during the study CO-ENROLMENT * As this is a non-intervention study, co-enrolment will be permitted in other studies that do not conflict with this protocol.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cognitive disorder Cognitive Dysfunction

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Anesthesia Anesthesia brain monitoring Anesthesia depth monitoring Cognitive impairment Cognitive impairment, mild Cognitive impairment, progressive

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Western General Hospital

    Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH4 2XU, United Kingdom

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