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REVIEW article

Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Cardiac Rhythmology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1527802

Atrial Fibrillation and Cognitive Impairment: Mechanisms, Influencing Factors, and Prospects

Provisionally accepted
Lijuan Huang Lijuan Huang Peng Chang Peng Chang *Yuzhe Song Yuzhe Song Jian-Shu Chen Jian-Shu Chen *
  • Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China

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

    Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia and a significant contributor to cardioembolic stroke, a condition closely linked to cognitive decline. However, research reveals that AF itself is independently associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. This high incidence of cognitive decline in AF patients may result from various mechanisms, including reduced cerebral perfusion, microembolism, decreased cardiac output, and chronic inflammation. Cognitive outcomes in AF are further influenced by a range of factors, such as left atrial structural parameters, AF type and duration, anticoagulation use, catheter ablation, comorbidities, age, and gender. This review synthesizes current evidence on the relationship between AF and cognitive impairment, examines underlying mechanisms of cognitive decline in AF, and explores the roles of AF type, treatment approaches, left atrial characteristics, and associated conditions in cognitive function outcomes.

    Keywords: Atrial Fibrillation, cognitive impairment, mechanisms, Influencing factors, prospects

    Received: 13 Nov 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Huang, Chang, Song and Chen. 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:
    Peng Chang, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
    Jian-Shu Chen, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China

    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.