Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PNDs) refer to a variety of cognitive abnormalities mainly experienced by elderly patients after anesthesia procedures and include cognitive impairment and disorientation linked to oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a neurotrophic hormone that regulates microglia-mediated neuroinflammation, may represent a therapeutic target in this context.