Objective: To explore the mediating role of intraoperative alpha power in the association between cognitive reserve and postoperative delirium (POD) in elderly patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Methods: A total of 234 patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia were included, 126 males and 108 females, aged 65-80 years, BMI 18.5-30.0 kg/m2, ASA physical status Ⅱ or Ⅲ. Preoperative cognitive reserve was assessed, intraoperative frontal EEG data were recorded, and the power spectrum was estimated using a multitaper method. The primary outcome was the incidence of POD, defined as any occurrence within 3 days postoperatively. Multivariate Logistic regression and mediation analyses were used to identify independent risk factors for POD and to examine the mediating effect of EEG characteristics. Results: Sixty-four patients (27.4%) experiencing POD within 3 days post-surgery. Lower cognitive reserve (OR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.41-4.77, P = 0.003), low intraoperative alpha power (OR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.53-2.21, P < 0.001), high ASA physical status(OR = 13.26, 95% CI 2.37-74.04, P = 0.003), low mini-mental state examination (MMSE) (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.06-1.21, P < 0.001), and high age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) (OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.07-2.39, P = 0.021) were identified as independent risk factors for POD. After adjusting for covariates including age, ASA, education level, history of depression, ACCI, frailty, MMSE, hemoglobin, platelet to lymphocyte ratio, theta power, and beta power, the total effect of low cognitive reserve on POD was 14.3 (95% CI 3.8-4.6, P = 0.013), the direct effect was 12.1 (95% CI 1.1-23.4, P = 0.018), and the indirect effect through alpha power was 2.3 (95% CI 0.3-4.8, P = 0.026), accounting for 16.1% of the total effect (95% CI 7.6%-30.1%, P = 0.025). Conclusion: Both low cognitive reserve and intraoperative alpha power abnormalities are independent risk factors for POD, with intraoperative alpha power playing a significant mediating role in the development of POD. |