Steffansdottir published a study on brain volume in the journal Stroke in 2013. In it she states:
AF is associated with smaller brain volume and the association is stronger with increasing burden of the arrhythmia. These findings suggest that AF has a cumulative negative effect on the brain independent of cerebral infarcts.
The difference in total brain volume between individuals with and without AF equals a year and a half of normal loss of brain volume. Wow!
