Stanford Psychiatry’s Gen Shinozaki awarded grant to identify epigenetic markers of delirium

We are pleased to announce that Stanford Psychiatry’s Gen Shinozaki, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, has received a grant from the National Institute on Aging to support research identifying epigenetic biomarkers of post-operative delirium and long term cognitive decline among elderly patients with and without dementia.

Delirium is a serious, yet often overlooked, condition that affects many elderly patients, especially those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. It is a condition that can lead to dangerous outcomes, including cognitive decline and even death, particularly after surgery. Despite its severity, predicting and detecting delirium remains a significant challenge for healthcare providers.

This study aims to delve into the molecular underpinnings of delirium pathophysiology, focusing on how epigenetic changes in our DNA, specifically through a process called DNA methylation, might be linked to the development of delirium after surgery. DNA methylation is a type of epigenetic modification—meaning it can be influenced by environmental factors—and it has the potential to alter how genes are expressed as we age. This project is in collaboration with Dr. Michael Snyder from Genetics, Dr. VJ Periyakoil from Geriatrics, Dr. Katrin Andreasson from Neurology and Dr. Brice Gaudilliere from Anesthesiology, as well as colleagues from Vanderbilt University and the University of Iowa.  

The research will involve a large group of elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery, a procedure that carries a high risk for delirium. By comparing the DNA methylation status of patients who develop delirium with those who do not, the team hopes to identify specific epigenetic markers that could signal a higher risk for this condition.

“Understanding these epigenetic changes could not only shed light on why delirium occurs but also pave the way for new strategies to predict, prevent, and treat it. If successful, this study could lead to breakthroughs in how we care for elderly patients, particularly those with dementia, and potentially improve their outcomes after surgery,” says Dr. Shinozaki. “Ultimately, this research represents a critical step forward in our understanding of how delirium and dementia are interconnected, and how we might better protect our aging population from these devastating conditions.”

Dr. Shinozaki’s work focuses on the development of novel approaches to predict, detect and treat delirium through wide range of investigations including molecular studies of pathophysiology and biomarker development using both human samples and animal models, as well as a novel bispectral EEG (BSEEG) device development proven to be effective for delirium detection and mortality prediction over 1,000 inpatients. For these accomplishments, he recently received Wayne Katon Research Award from the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and presented an award lecture for over 1,400 attendees at their national meeting.

Recent publications related to this work include “Epigenetic signals associated with delirium replicated across four independent cohorts” published in Translational Psychiatry and “The Genome-wide DNA methylation changes in gastrointestinal surgery patients with and without postoperative delirium: Evidence of immune process in its pathophysiology” published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

More Information

For more information about this study, please visit NIH’s RePORTER.