Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39976882›Full record

SynthesisNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2025

Beyond the beats: a systematic review of the underlying inflammatory pathways between atrial fibrillation and cognitive decline.

Ana Mónica Machado, Ana Sofia Ferraz, M Graça Pereira, Fernanda Leite

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Ana Mónica MachadoResearch Centre in Psychology (Cipsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9439-3540
Ana Sofia FerrazResearch Centre in Psychology (Cipsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9318-0511
M Graça PereiraResearch Centre in Psychology (Cipsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7987-2562
Fernanda LeiteDepartment of Transfusion Medicine, Santo António University Hospital Center, Porto, Portugal. fernandajtleite@hotmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7930-6066

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and cognitive decline represent significant health challenges with increasing prevalence and significant socioeconomic implications. Emerging evidence suggests a potential link between AF and cognitive decline, including dementia and Alzheimer's disease, although the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Inflammation has emerged as a key mediator in cardiovascular and neurological diseases, encouraging an investigation into its role in the atrial fibrillation-cognition association. A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo was conducted to identify relevant studies investigating possible inflammatory mechanisms bridging AF and cognitive decline. Studies were assessed for quality and relevance, and data were synthesized using a narrative approach. Five papers were included, with only two longitudinal studies. Inflammatory biomarkers emerged as significant factors associated with both AF and cognitive decline. Three studies revealed a correlation between high-sensitivity CRP (HS-CRP) levels and cognitive decline in patients with AF, AF patients with cerebral infarction, and elderly individuals with AF. However, conflicting results were observed, as one study did not identify any associations between cognitive decline and HS-CRP levels. The scientific literature on this topic is scarce, and the results of existing studies often lack consistency in their findings, highlighting the need for further research to better understand and prevent this significant health burden in patients with AF. So, the results of this study are expected to inform future research directions and cognitive decline risk stratification, guiding the development of targeted interventions aimed at preserving cognitive function and improving outcomes in patients with AF.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationCognitive DysfunctionInflammationHumansAtrial fibrillationCognitive declineInflammationPathophysiologyTherapeutic targets

Identifiers

PMID39976882
PMCPMC12152057

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.