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Atrial Fibrillation And Cognitive Decline: A Computational Hemodynamics Investigation, Timothy J. Hunter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent cardiac disease which has been associated with increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. We hypothesize that atrial fibrillation leads to regional transient hypoperfusion events in the brain, and that geometric variations in the arterial structure called the Circle of Willis (CoW) play a role in these events.

Methods: A computational model was developed to simulate cerebral blood flow in six common variations of the CoW. Risk was assessed based on frequency of beat-wise regional hypoperfusion events during AF, and sensitivity analysis was performed with respect to this model output.

Results …