ABSTRACT
In contrast to the well-documented cognitive changes associated with early manifestations of cardiovascular (CV) disease, such as essential hypertension, and of therapeutic interventions, such as antihypertensive medications or cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, little systematic research exists on the cognitive consequences of cardiac dysfunction. Following a perilous cardiac event, it is only natural that the heart is the focus of medical attention. Especially in the absence of frank neurological comorbidity, mental impairment is not expected, and the patient’s medical staff and family members may not notice (subtle) cognitive changes. In addition, patients are often anxious or depressed following a cardiac event, and reduced cognitive performance can be interpreted as a result of the psychological distress. Only recently have researchers become interested in cognitive disturbances that seem to be linked with later manifestations of CV disease. In this chapter I investigate the cognitive deWcits that have been associated with myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest. I also investigate the potential underlying mechanisms that are believed to disturb the cognitive integrity of patients suffering from heart disease.
