Could Fixing a Problem with the Heart Be Good for Your Brain?

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2023

Newswise — MINNEAPOLIS – People who have an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation that is treated with a procedure called catheter ablation may have a reduced risk of dementia compared to those who are treated with medication alone. The preliminary study released April 18, 2023, will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75^th Annual Meeting being held in person in Boston and live online from April 22-27, 2023.

Catheter ablation uses radiofrequency through a tube into the heart to destroy small areas of heart tissue that may be causing the abnormal heartbeat.

“Previous studies have found that people with arrythmias may have long-term thinking and memory problems due to how this condition may affect the blood flow to the brain,” said Bahadar Srichawla, DO, of University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “Our findings show that treatment with catheter ablation is linked to a reduced risk of cognitive impairment.”

The study involved 887 people with an average age of 75 at the start of the study. Of this group, 193 people received catheter ablation.

Participants completed a memory and thinking test at the start of the study, at one year and at two years. This test included questions regarding short-term memory, attention, concentration and language. Scores ranged from zero to 30. Cognitive impairment was defined as a score of 23 or less. People who received catheter ablation had an average score of 25 compared to people who did not receive the procedure with an average score of 23.

After adjusting for factors like heart disease, renal disease, sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation risk score, those who underwent catheter ablation were 36% less likely to develop cognitive impairment than those who did not receive the procedure and were treated only with medication.

“Our results are encouraging, however there are many factors taken into consideration when catheter ablation is prescribed,” Srichawla added. “More research is needed to confirm our results.”

A limitation of the study was that no tests of blood flow to the brain were recorded.

Learn more about dementia at BrainandLife.org, home of the American Academy of Neurology’s free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life^® on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 40,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.

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Dr. Srichawla will present the study findings at 11:15 a.m. ET, Monday, April 24, in room 210C at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Please send an email to  to schedule an advance interview. 

Emerging Science abstracts are embargoed until 12:01 a.m., ET, Friday, April 21, 2023, unless otherwise noted by the Academy’s Media and Public Relations Department.

To access Non-emerging Science abstracts to be presented at the 2023 AAN Annual Meeting, visit https://www.aan.com/events/annual-meeting-abstracts-awards.