Tyrosine protein kinase ABL1 regulates the mTOR/ULK1 pathway to alleviate postoperative cognitive dysfunction in aged mice.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common and serious complication in older adult patients. While the tyrosine kinase ABL1 has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, its specific role in POCD remains unexplored. This study aims to investigate whether ABL1 influences POCD in aged mice by regulating microglial autophagy and neuroinflammation via the mTOR/ULK1 pathway. METHODS: silencing and rapamycin (Rapa) were used to construct a cellular model and conduct relevant cell experiments. RESULTS: knockdown in microglia attenuated pro-inflammatory responses, inhibited autophagy, and conferred protection against neuronal damage. CONCLUSIONS: may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for preventing or treating POCD.