General anesthesia and postoperative cognitive dysfunction

General anesthesia implies the induction of temporary suppression of cognitive functions, this effect is assumed to be fully reversible by the end of the procedure. An increasing body of evidence suggests that general anesthesia might interfere with cognitive functions at various time points in the post-anesthesia period even in patients without perioperative neurological damage [1]. Whether, the post operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is attributable to direct or indirect effects of the anesthetic drugs is an open question.