Evidence mapPaperPMID 41501492Full record

Trial reportNature medicine2026

Anticoagulation to prevent ischemic stroke and neurocognitive impairment in atrial fibrillation: the BRAIN-AF randomized clinical trial.

Léna Rivard, Paul Khairy, Mario Talajic, Jean-Claude Tardif, Jeffrey S Healey, Sandra E Black, Jason G Andrade, Thalia S Field, Isabelle Nault, Louis Bherer and 35 more

Erratum issuedAbstract readRandomized Controlled TrialMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in Nature medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Incidence and clinical predictors of cognitive decline in anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation: the Strat-AF Study.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

45 authors.

Léna RivardDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Lena.Rivard@icm-mhi.org.ORCID 0000-0002-1340-0850
Paul KhairyDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Mario TalajicDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Jean-Claude TardifDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-8200-8983
Jeffrey S HealeyPopulation Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Sandra E BlackDepartment of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7093-8289
Jason G AndradeDivision of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-8493-5123
Thalia S FieldDivision of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-1176-0633
Isabelle NaultInstitut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
Louis BhererDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Fadi MassoudCentre Hospitalier Charles-LeMoyne, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada.
Stanley NattelDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5565-3311
Sylvain LanthierHôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-9762-5514
Normand RacineDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Jean-François RouxCentre Hospitalier de l'Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7810-1678
Isabelle GreissCentre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0009-0009-0926-0494
Laurent MacleDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Peter G GuerraDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Rafik TadrosDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Hélène MayrandCISSS de Laval, Laval, Quebec, Canada.
Gilbert GosselinDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
David ConenPopulation Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Christian BoctiCentre Hospitalier de l'Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
Céline ChayerDepartment of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Yan DeschaintreDepartment of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Roopinder K SandhuDepartment of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Jaimie ManlucuLondon Health Sciences Centre, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Yaariv KhaykinSouthlake Health, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-8649-0909
Atul VermaDivision of Cardiology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Blandine MondésertDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Katia DyrdaDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Julia Cadrin-TourignyDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Bernard ThibaultDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Alexandre Raymond-PaquinDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Martin AguilarDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Judith BrouilletteDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
André RoussinCentre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Alain RobillardHôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
Maxime Tremblay-GravelDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Louis-Philippe DavidDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Mariève CossetteSeriant (formally Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Centre), Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Ratika ParkashDivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Marie-Claude GuertinSeriant (formally Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Centre), Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Denis RoyDepartment of Medicine, and Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
BRAIN-AF investigators

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF) are at increased risk of stroke, cognitive impairment and dementia. Observational studies suggest that anticoagulation may reduce the risk of cognitive decline in patients with AF and elevated thromboembolic risk, implicating subclinical cerebral emboli as a potential mechanistic link. Whether anticoagulation prevents cognitive deterioration in patients with AF at low risk of stroke remains uncertain. Here we conducted a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which participants with AF and low thromboembolic risk (CHA

Indexed as

AnticoagulantsAtrial FibrillationCognitive DysfunctionIschemic StrokeRivaroxabanStrokeAgedAged, 80 and overDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedAnticoagulantsRivaroxaban

Identifiers

PMID41501492
PMCPMC12823401

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

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.