Atrial Fibrillation and Cognitive Decline: Phenomenon or Epiphenomenon?

Shadi Kalantarian; Jeremy N Ruskin

doi:10.1016/j.ccl.2015.12.011

Atrial Fibrillation and Cognitive Decline: Phenomenon or Epiphenomenon?

Cardiol Clin. 2016 May;34(2):279-85. doi: 10.1016/j.ccl.2015.12.011.

Authors

Shadi Kalantarian¹, Jeremy N Ruskin²

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine Residency Program, Yale New Haven Hospital, 20 York Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
² Cardiac Arrhythmia Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Electronic address: jruskin@partners.org.

PMID: 27150176
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccl.2015.12.011

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation is associated with cognitive impairment ranging from mild to overt dementia, and this association is independent of clinical stroke and multiple shared risk factors. Whether the use of the novel anticoagulants will offer greater protection than warfarin remains to be determined. Rate control strategies may improve brain perfusion and memory but this has not been studied in a randomized controlled trial. Overall, this is a novel field that requires multiple observational studies with long-term follow-up and large-scale randomized controlled trials with accurate neurocognitive testing and brain imaging to ultimately define effective preventive strategies and treatment options.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Cognitive impairment; Dementia.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Atrial Fibrillation / complications*
Cognition*
Cognitive Dysfunction / epidemiology
Cognitive Dysfunction / etiology*
Global Health
Humans
Incidence
Risk Assessment*
Risk Factors