Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 28, 2025

Author Spotlight: Assessing Ischemic Stroke Damage Through Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Model
05:32

Author Spotlight: Assessing Ischemic Stroke Damage Through Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Model

Published on: August 11, 2023

2.4K

A Mendelian randomization analysis of the relationship between cardioembolic risk factors and ischemic stroke

Danyang Tian1, Linjing Zhang1, Zhenhuang Zhuang2

  • 1Department of Neurology, Peking University Third Hospital, No. 49, North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.

Scientific Reports
|July 17, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a causal risk factor for cardioembolic stroke, significantly increasing stroke odds. Resting heart rate also shows a suggestive causal link to ischemic and cardioembolic stroke subtypes.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Genetics
  • Neurology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Observational studies suggest links between risk factors and cardioembolic stroke.
  • Causality between these associations and cardioembolic stroke remains uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the causal association between established and provisional cardioembolic risk factors and cardioembolic stroke.
  • Utilize genetic variants as instrumental variables to infer causality.

Main Methods:

  • Employed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genetic instruments for atrial fibrillation (AF), myocardial infarction (MI), ECG indices, and NT-pro BNP.
  • Extracted summarized data for ischemic stroke and subtypes from the MEGASTROKE consortium.
  • Applied inverse-variance weighted, weighted median, simple median, and MR-Egger regression analyses.

Main Results:

  • Genetically predicted AF demonstrated a significant causal association with increased odds of ischemic stroke (OR: 1.20) and cardioembolic stroke (OR: 1.95).
  • Genetically determined resting heart rate showed suggestive causal associations with ischemic stroke (OR: 1.01), large-artery atherosclerotic stroke (OR: 1.02), and cardioembolic stroke (OR: 1.02).
  • No causal associations were found for P-wave terminal force in V1 (PTFVI), P-wave duration (PWD), NT-pro BNP, or PR interval with ischemic stroke or its subtypes.

Conclusions:

  • Atrial fibrillation is a confirmed causal risk factor for cardioembolic stroke.
  • Resting heart rate may also play a causal role in cardioembolic stroke.
  • Certain ECG indices and NT-pro BNP are not causally linked to cardioembolic stroke.

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Integrated Multi-Omics Analysis for Unveiling Multicellular Immune Signatures in Clinical Heart Attack Cohorts08:51

Author Spotlight: Integrated Multi-Omics Analysis for Unveiling Multicellular Immune Signatures in Clinical Heart Attack Cohorts

Published on: September 20, 2024

1.6K
A Magnetic Resonance Imaging-based Computational Protocol for Analysis of Plaque Morphology and Hemodynamics in Patients with Carotid Artery Stenosis09:36

A Magnetic Resonance Imaging-based Computational Protocol for Analysis of Plaque Morphology and Hemodynamics in Patients with Carotid Artery Stenosis

Published on: August 12, 2025

202

Related Concept Videos

Randomized Experiments01:13

Randomized Experiments

The randomization process involves assigning study participants randomly to experimental or control groups based on their probability of being equally assigned. Randomization is meant to eliminate selection bias and balance known and unknown confounding factors so that the control group is similar to the treatment group as much as possible. A computer program and a random number generator can be used to assign participants to groups in a way that minimizes bias.
Simple randomization
Simple...
8.3K
Ischemic Heart Disease: Overview01:17

Ischemic Heart Disease: Overview

Ischemic heart disease occurs when the heart's blood supply dwindles, causing an ominous lack of oxygen and nutrients. This deficiency, stemming from reduced or obstructed blood flow, spells danger, leading to heart muscle damage and dysfunction.
Atherosclerosis, the primary malefactor, orchestrates this dangerous condition. It manifests as the accumulation of fatty deposits, akin to insidious plaques, within arterial walls. As time elapses, these plaques metamorphose, hardening and...
2.1K
Coronary Artery Disease I: Introduction01:30

Coronary Artery Disease I: Introduction

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD): An Overview with Scientific InsightsCoronary Artery Disease (CAD), often referred to as C-A-D, is a prevalent blood vessel disorder classified under the broader category of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a pathological process characterized by the hardening and narrowing of arteries due to the accumulation of atherosclerotic plaques. These plaques are composed of cholesterol, fatty substances, inflammatory cells, calcium, and fibrin, reducing blood flow to...
546
Cardiac Output II: Effect of Stroke Volume on Cardiac Output01:22

Cardiac Output II: Effect of Stroke Volume on Cardiac Output

Cardiac output (CO), the amount of blood the heart pumps per minute, is a parameter in cardiovascular physiology determined by stroke volume and heart rate. Stroke volume, the amount of blood pushed from one of the ventricles per heartbeat, is influenced by preload, afterload, and contractility.
Preload
Preload refers to the initial elongation of the cardiac myocytes before contraction and is related to the volume of blood filling the heart at the end of diastole, or end-diastolic volume. The...
2.0K
Confounding in Epidemiological Studies01:27

Confounding in Epidemiological Studies

Confounding in statistical epidemiology represents a pivotal challenge, referring to the distortion in the perceived relationship between an exposure and an outcome due to the presence of a third variable, known as a confounder. This variable is associated with both the exposure and the outcome but is not a direct link in their causal chain. Its presence can lead to erroneous interpretations of the exposure's effect, either exaggerating or underestimating the true association. This...
325
Coronary Artery Disease II: Pathophysiology01:26

Coronary Artery Disease II: Pathophysiology

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) originates from a series of events that impair the function of coronary arteries, the blood vessels responsible for delivering oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. The pathophysiology of CAD is closely linked to atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory and lipid-driven condition affecting the vascular endothelium.1. Endothelial DamageThe process begins with damage to the vascular endothelium, which serves as a protective barrier between the blood and the vessel...
115