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Updated: Nov 1, 2025
08:10
Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: July 20, 2022
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Cardiac autonomic function and cognitive performance in patients with atrial fibrillation
Peter Hämmerle1, Stefanie Aeschbacher1, Anne Springer1
1Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Summary
Reduced cardiac autonomic function (CAF) is linked to cognitive decline in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Lower heart rate variability triangular index (HRVI) and higher mean heart rate (MHR) correlate with poorer cognitive scores.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
- Autonomic Nervous System
Background:
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) is recognized as a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia.
- Cardiac autonomic dysfunction is increasingly implicated in cognitive decline.
- This study investigates the association between cardiac autonomic function (CAF) and cognitive performance in AF patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if reduced cardiac autonomic function (CAF) is associated with cognitive impairment in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).
- To identify specific parameters of cardiac autonomic function that correlate with cognitive performance in AF patients.
Main Methods:
- A multicenter cohort study included patients with AF and sinus rhythm (SR).
- Cardiac autonomic function (CAF) was assessed using heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, including heart rate variability triangular index (HRVI) and mean heart rate (MHR).
- Global cognitive function was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
Main Results:
- In 1685 participants (710 AF, 975 SR), lower HRVI was significantly associated with lower MoCA scores in both AF and SR groups.
- In the AF group, higher mean heart rate (MHR) was also linked to poorer MoCA performance.
- No significant association was found between other assessed CAF parameters and cognitive function.
Conclusions:
- Impaired cardiac autonomic function, particularly reduced HRVI and elevated MHR, is associated with worse cognitive performance in patients with AF.
- HRVI emerges as a potentially valuable ECG-derived index for assessing cognitive health in AF patients.
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