【Abstract】Atrial fibrillation (AF) is closely associated with cognitive impairment. Evidence from clinical research reveals that AF increases the risk of cognitive impairment by 1.5-2.5 times; the functional and structural abnormalities of the brain tissues caused by AF are the major cause of cognitive impairment; anticoagulation, ventricular rate control rhythm control, and other therapeutic strategies can significantly reduce the risk of cognitive impairment. However, AF-associated cognitive impairment has not received adequate clinical attention and is often overlooked. This article reviews the relationship between the two to provide data for preventing and treating AF-associated cognitive impairment.

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81970277, 82170312).