Table 2.

Key pathological studies that evaluated association between AF and AD

Literature	Study	Subjects on neuropathology	AF	Results
Rastas [14]	Vantaa 85 + study	290 population-based subjects; average 88.4 years (age data from the 553 study subjects)	55 AF patients; 235 non-AF subjects	Plaque and tangle pathology was not different between AF and non-AF subjects
Dublin [25]	Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study	328 population-based subjects; average 87.6 years	194 never AF patients; 77 non-permanent AF; 57 permanent AF	Patients with permanent AF were more likely to have AD changes than those without AF or those with nonpermanent AF
Sposato [49]	National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center database	1,593 cases of primary neuropathological diagnosis of AD; average 84.4 years (AF+, HF–) and 88.9 years (AF+, HF+)	250 AF subjects	AF was associated with milder AD neuropathology
Bangen [50]	University of California San Diego Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center	84 AD cases on neuropathology; average 79.1 years in AD with cerebrovascular changes and 75.1 years in AD without cerebrovascular changes	6 (12%) AF in AD with cerebrovascular changes and 1 (3%) AF in AD without cerebrovascular changes	Presence of cerebrovascular changes was associated with lower Braak and Braak stage

AF, atrial fibrillation; HF, heart failure.