Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND) are one of the common postoperative complications in elderly patients. The occurrence of PND seriously affects the prognosis and outcome of elderly patients after surgery, and its pathogenesis may be related to neuroinflammation, autophagy, apoptotic disorders, abnormal brain energy metabolism, and impaired synaptic function. Adiponectin (APN) has the effects of anti‑apoptosis, regulating metabolism, promoting neuronal excitability, and synaptic plasticity. In recent years, APN receptors are expressed in many regions of the brain. APN may play a potential role in the occurrence and development of PND. This paper reviews the research progress on the correlation between APN and PND, expounds on the role of APN in the central nervous system and its anti‑PND related mechanism, to provides new ideas for the prevention and treatment of PND in clinical practice.