According to a study published online in JAMA, left atrial dysfunction could be a risk factor for the development of dementia later.

The study evaluated the relationship of echocardiographic measures of left atrial function and size with incident dementia in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, a US community-based cohort. A total of 4096 participants (mean age, 75 years) were included in the study and 531 dementia cases were noted over the follow-up period.

Several echocardiographic measures of lower left atrial function were found to have a significant association with an increased risk of subsequent dementia. People with the lowest quintiles of several measures of left atrial function had a 43%-98% higher risk of incident dementia compared to people in the highest quintiles of the same measures. Two to three more dementia cases were noted per 100 person-years in individuals in the lowest quintile of left atrial function measures compared to those in the highest quintile… (Medscape)