Atrial Fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia affecting people of all ages, principally the elderly. Cognitive decline and dementia are also prevalent diseases in elderly. The scientific community always showed interest in the possible association between these two pathological entities, both implicating social and economic burden. This has been confirmed by several longitudinal population-based studies. Some studies also revealed that the association between atrial fibrillation and dementia may be not related to history of stroke. Therefore, other pathophysiological mechanisms are likely implicated, so far unclear or undefined.

The aim of the present review is to analyse the possible mechanisms underlying the frequent association between atrial fibrillation and cognitive impairment.

房颤是最常见的心律失常，影响所有年龄段的人，主要是老年人。认知能力下降和痴呆症也是老年人常见的疾病。科学界一直对这两种病理实体之间可能存在的关联表现出兴趣，这两种实体都意味着社会和经济负担。几项基于人群的纵向研究证实了这一点。一些研究还表明，心房颤动和痴呆之间的关联可能与中风史无关。因此，可能涉及其他病理生理机制，目前尚不清楚或未定义。

本综述的目的是分析心房颤动与认知障碍之间频繁关联的可能机制。