A procedure to restore normal heart rhythm is more effective than medications for reducing dementia risk in people with the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation (AFib).

Previous studies have shown that AFib is associated with increased risk of dementia. A new study assessed whether catheter ablation and medications for AFib reduced that risk.

In catheter ablation, doctors insert a tube through a blood vessel to the heart to pinpoint the source of the arrhythmia and then use radiofrequency energy to inactivate or isolate the affected area. Researchers analyzed data on patients in South Korea who were diagnosed with AFib between 2005 and 2015, including more than 9,100 who had catheter ablation and nearly 18,000 who were treated with medications. During a 12-year follow-up, catheter ablation reduced the incidence of dementia by 27 percent compared to medication.

When researchers focused on specific types of dementia, they found that ablation was associated with a 23 percent lower incidence of Alzheimer’s compared to medications and a 50 percent decrease in vascular dementia.

After patients who suffered a stroke during follow-up were removed from the analysis, ablation was still significantly associated with a reduced risk of overall dementia and of vascular dementia, but a statistically insignificant reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.