Why am I taking a cognitive assessment in a heart study? Many participants ask this during their annual pre-visit phone call, and it is a fair question.
Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is a heart condition that is more common in older adults. Dementia is another condition common with age and it affects cognitive functions, like memory and thinking. Because both conditions are linked to aging, they can often happen at the same time.
AFib is a known risk factor of stroke, which causes brain problems, including dementia. Research has also shown that people with AFib may have changes in cognition even if they have never had a stroke. AFib shares many risk factors with a kind of dementia called vascular dementia, which is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. These risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. Together, this shows a connection between heart and brain heath1.
If you have completed the BEAT-AFib cognitive assessment, then you know it measures different areas of thinking and memory, including attention, concentration, learning, problem-solving, and language. All participants complete the same assessment once a year before their in-person visit. This test helps us understand how AFib and related risk factors may affect the brain over time. Another reason we do this exam over time is that people often do not notice small changes in their thinking or memory, and this test can help us identify those changes. As more changes occur in the brain over time, these problems can slowly get worse and may lead to mild cognitive impairment.
The BEAT-AFib study also aims to learn how AFib treatments, such as catheter ablations, may affect cognitive function. For those who undergo an ablation, we complete an assessment before the ablation and again a few months after to see if cognition changes after the procedure.
For participants who do not have AFib, we focus on risk factors, like high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity, to better understand how these conditions may affect brain health. Studying these different groups helps us better understand the connection between the heart and the brain.
Ultimately, your participation in the BEAT-AFib study is what makes this research possible. By taking part in and completing the cognitive assessments, you are helping us learn more about how changes to heart health can affect the brain, and how we may take better care of patients in the future.
Thank you for your contribution!
References:
- Diener, H.-C., Hart, R. G., Koudstaal, P. J., Lane, D. A., & Lip, G. Y. H. (2019). Atrial fibrillation and cognitive function: JACC review topic of the week. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 73(5), 612–619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2018.10.077
