Journal of cardiovascular medicine
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After cardiac surgery, delirium, cognitive dysfunction, depression, or anxiety disorders frequently occur, and profoundly affect patients' prognosis and quality of life. This narrative review focuses on the main clinical presentations of cognitive and psychological problems ('mind injuries') that occur postoperatively in absence of ascertainable focal neurologic deficits, exploring their pathophysiological mechanisms and possible strategies for prevention and treatment. ⋯ The net effect of these changes is neuroinflammation. These complex biochemical alterations, along with an aspecific response to stressful life events, might target the function of several brain areas, which are thought to represent a trigger factor for the onset of depression.