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Dysfunctional resting state network connectivity predicts postoperative delirium after major surgery
Natasha L Taylor, Jordan Wehrman, Matthew I Banks, Veena Nair, Robert A Pearce, David Kunkel, James M Shine, Vivek Prabhakaran et al.. British journal of anaesthesia, 2025-12-31
Topic: Brain imaging, connectivity and assessment
Group comparisons revealed significantly decreased within-network connectivity in salience-ventral attention, cognitive control, and default mode network in participants with postoperative delirium (n=31) compared with non-delirious participants (n=89; non-parametric permutation test, 1000 iterations, P<0.05). We found overall weaker connectivity within the default mode network and specific differences across the sub-networks of the default mode which overlap with higher-order cognitive processing. Supervised machine learning identified that the visual and salience-ventral attentional networks predicted postoperative delirium incidence with an accuracy of 68%. Resting state functional connectivity is a neural correlate of vulnerability to postoperative delirium. Disrupted resting state connectivity within higher-order cognitive association areas, including the default mode network, salience attention, and cognitive control networks, was specifically correlated with delirium. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01980511 and NCT03124303.
Key findings
- Group comparisons revealed significantly decreased within-network connectivity in salience-ventral attention, cognitive control, and default mode network in participants with postoperative delirium (n=31) compared with non-delirious participants (n=89; non-parametric permutation test, 1000 iterations, P<0.05).
- We found overall weaker connectivity within the default mode network and specific differences across the sub-networks of the default mode which overlap with higher-order cognitive processing.
- Supervised machine learning identified that the visual and salience-ventral attentional networks predicted postoperative delirium incidence with an accuracy of 68%.
- Resting state functional connectivity is a neural correlate of vulnerability to postoperative delirium.
- Disrupted resting state connectivity within higher-order cognitive association areas, including the default mode network, salience attention, and cognitive control networks, was specifically correlated with delirium.
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Study details
- Participants31
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 52/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 29 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 52 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (British journal of anaesthesia) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 31 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41475933) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 29 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 29 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 52 out of 100. |
| Total | 52 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Taylor, N. L., Wehrman, J., Banks, M. I., Nair, V., Pearce, R. A., Kunkel, D., et al. (2026). Dysfunctional resting state network connectivity predicts postoperative delirium after major surgery. British journal of anaesthesia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2025.11.036
Vancouver
Taylor NL, Wehrman J, Banks MI, Nair V, Pearce RA, Kunkel D, et al. Dysfunctional resting state network connectivity predicts postoperative delirium after major surgery. British journal of anaesthesia. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.bja.2025.11.036. PMID: 41475933.
BibTeX
@article{taylor2026-41475933,
author = {Taylor, Natasha L and Wehrman, Jordan and Banks, Matthew I and Nair, Veena and Pearce, Robert A and Kunkel, David and Shine, James M and Prabhakaran, Vivek and others},
title = {{Dysfunctional resting state network connectivity predicts postoperative delirium after major surgery}},
journal = {British journal of anaesthesia},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1016/j.bja.2025.11.036},
pmid = {41475933},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2025.11.036}
}
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