Effects of Dabigatran on Dementia Pathogenesis and Neuropsychological Function: A Review
Bo-Lin Ho1,2, Sun-Wung Hsieh1,2,3, Ping-Song Chou1,2
1Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Insights
Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants like dabigatran show neutral to positive effects on cognitive and psychological health in atrial fibrillation patients. Further research is needed to confirm these benefits for dementia prevention.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Pharmacology
- Neuroscience
- Geriatric Medicine
Background:
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) patients face increased risks of cognitive decline and psychological distress.
- Optimal anticoagulation aims to prevent stroke and systemic thromboembolism while preserving neuropsychological function.
Approach:
- Systematic literature review of dabigatran's effects on cognitive and psychological outcomes.
- Searched PubMed/Medline for relevant studies up to August 31, 2021.
- Included preclinical, observational, and clinical data.
Key Points:
- Dabigatran demonstrated neutral to positive impacts on cognitive and psychological measures.
- Observed reduced incidences of anxiety, depression, and dementia in AF patients using dabigatran.
- Preclinical and observational studies suggest a better therapeutic profile compared to warfarin.
Conclusions:
- Evidence suggests modest beneficial effects of dabigatran on neuropsychological function.
- Further clinical trials are essential to validate the pleiotropic protective effects of NOACs against dementia.
Background:
Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) carry higher risks of cognitive consequences and psychological burden. An optimal anticoagulant therapy would be expected to better preserve neuropsychological function in addition to effective prevention of stroke and systemic thromboembolism.
Objective:
The aim of this review is to explore the effects of the non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) dabigatran, a direct thrombin inhibitor, on cognitive and psychological function as well as dementia pathogenesis.
Methods:
We performed a comprehensive search of PubMed/Medline for all types of relevant articles using a combination of dabigatran and associated keywords updated to August 31, 2021. All titles and abstracts were screened for eligibility, and potentially relevant papers were collected for inclusion.
Results:
The pooled results demonstrated neutral to positive impacts of dabigatran on cognitive and psychological outcomes, including laboratory results in animal models of Alzheimer's disease, and reduced incidences of anxiety/depression and dementia for AF patients. Dabigatran also exhibited better therapeutic profiles than warfarin in preclinical and observational research.
Conclusion:
Given limited strength of evidence from heterogeneous studies, our review proposed modest beneficial effects of dabigatran on neuropsychological function. Further clinical trials are warranted to affirm the pleiotropic protective effects of NOACs on dementia treatment.
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