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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Cardiac Rhythmology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1485837

Neuropsychiatry of Atrial Fibrillation: Dementia and Beyond

Provisionally accepted
Mayuresh Chaudhari Mayuresh Chaudhari 1Juan Rodriguez Juan Rodriguez 2Alejandro Velasco Alejandro Velasco 2Ildiko Agoston Ildiko Agoston 2Sudha Seshadri Sudha Seshadri 1Antonio Lucio Teixeira Antonio Lucio Teixeira 1*
  • 1 Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, United States
  • 2 Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent heart rhythm disorder worldwide with a prevalence of 1-2% in general population. It is associated with increased mortality and morbidity, including increased risk of dementia. In addition to cognitive impairment, AF has been related to anxiety and mood disorders. Herein we review the literature on the association between AF and neuropsychiatric conditions, including anxiety and mood disorders. The mechanisms underlying the association between AF and dementia are complex, including stroke, chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, and systemic inflammation. There is a bidirectional interaction between AF and anxiety/mood disorders with shared mechanisms involving dysfunction of the autonomic, neuroendocrine and immune systems. Optimizing pharmacological treatment, avoiding drug interactions and implementing behavioral interventions can have a lasting impact on patients with AF undergoing rhythm/rate control therapies and/or catheter ablation.

    Keywords: Atrial Fibrillation, Dementia, stress, Anxiety, Depression, autonomic regulation

    Received: 27 Aug 2024; Accepted: 06 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Chaudhari, Rodriguez, Velasco, Agoston, Seshadri and Teixeira. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Antonio Lucio Teixeira, Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.