Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cause of ischemic stroke. In many cases, it is only detected after stroke during cardiac monitoring or Holter ECG (AF detected after stroke – AFDAS). Some stroke-related factors might even precipitate AF: for instance, strokes in the insula, a brain region related to the regulation of the autonomous nervous system, are strongly associated with the detection of AFDAS – an intriguing finding that highlights how brain-related factors can greatly influence cardiac outcomes.
To further investigate this relationship, the #BrainHeartLab obtained funding from the German Heart Foundation. We will employ a multimodal approach using neuroimaging, cardiac monitoring data from our stroke units and Machine Learning to unveil patterns that could potentially precipitate AFDAS and help clinicians by guiding treatment decisions.
We are happy to collaborate with the Group Computational Neurology headed by PD. Dr. Christian Meisel and to use cardiac monitoring data from the Cluster of Excellency Neurocure
