Palmitoylethanolamide ameliorates postoperative cognitive dysfunction via microglial PPARα-mediated anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective mechanisms
Laboratory studyOther animals
- Design
- Laboratory study
- Subjects
- Aged mice, using an aged-mouse model of postoperative cognitive dysfunction; additional in vitro microglial experiments
- Dose used in the study
- Not stated in the abstract
- Duration
- Not stated in the abstract
- What was measured
- Cognitive performance (open field test, novel object recognition, Barnes maze); neuroinflammation, microglial activation, neuronal integrity and synaptic plasticity markers; the role of PPAR-alpha via shPPAR-alpha knockdown in prefrontal cortex microglia
What the authors reported
PEA improved short- and long-term memory in aged mice with postoperative cognitive dysfunction. It reduced microglial activation, shifted microglia toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype, preserved neurons and increased synaptic plasticity proteins. These effects depended on PPAR-alpha: knocking down PPAR-alpha in prefrontal cortex microglia abolished them.
Limits of this study
An aged-mouse model study with combined in vitro work; it cannot show effect in people undergoing surgery. The authors declare no competing interests.
Source
PubMed 41577115 · doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2026.115664
Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed on 2026-09-22. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.