Administration of Selective α2‐Adrenergic Receptor Agonist Dexmedetomidine During Spine Surgery is Associated with Reduced Postoperative Increase in Plasma p‐Tau181

Recent studies have revealed that biomarkers of neuronal injury and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are increased in patients following major surgery. However, the contribution of specific anesthetic agents, such as inhalational or intravenous, remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated whether patients having a predominantly inhalational anesthetic (GAS) compared to patients having a predominantly intravenous anesthetic (IV) would have differences in plasma p‐tau181 levels from preoperative baseline to 3‐months postoperatively. We also examined whether there were differences in p‐tau181 in patients who were intraoperatively administered dexmedetomidine, a selective α2‐adrenergic receptor agonist with neuroprotective effects.