Myocardial infarction and cognitive impairment

Is myocardial infarction (MI) associated with cognition acutely after MI or in the years following MI?

In this cohort study (JAMA Neurol. 2023;80(7):723-731) of 30 465 adults without MI, stroke, or dementia, overall, incident MI was not associated with an acute decrease in global cognition, memory, or executive function at the time of the event compared with no MI. The rate of decline in global cognition, memory, and executive function was significantly faster over the years for adults with an MI event compared with those without an MI.

These findings suggest that prevention of MI may be important for long-term brain health.

The study included 30 465 adults (mean [SD] age, 64 [10] years; 56% female), of whom 1033 had 1 or more MI event, and 29 432 did not have an MI event.

Individuals with incident MI vs those without MI demonstrated faster declines in global cognition (−0.15 points per year; 95% CI, −0.21 to −0.10 points per year), memory (−0.13 points per year; 95% CI, −0.22 to −0.04 points per year), and executive function (−0.14 points per year; 95% CI, −0.20 to −0.08 points per year) over the years after MI compared with pre-MI slopes.