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Heart failure (HF) patients frequently develop brain deficits that lead to cognitive dysfunction (CD), which may ultimately also affect survival. There is an important interaction between brain and heart that becomes crucial for survival in patients with HF. Our aim was to review the brain/heart interactions in HF and discuss the emerging role of combined brain/heart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation. A scoping review of published literature was conducted in the PubMed EMBASE (OVID), Web of Science, Scopus and PsycInfo databases. Keywords for searches included heart failure, brain lesion, brain, cognitive, cognitive dysfunction, magnetic resonance imaging cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging electroencephalogram, positron emission tomography and echocardiography. CD testing, the most commonly used diagnostic approach, can identify neither subclinical cases nor the pathophysiologic background of CD. A combined brain/heart MRI has the capability of diagnosing brain/heart lesions at an early stage and potentially facilitates treatment. Additionally, valuable information about edema, fibrosis and cardiac remodeling, provided with the use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance, can improve HF risk stratification and treatment modification. However, availability, familiarity with this modality and cost should be taken under consideration before final conclusions can be drawn. Abnormal CD testing in HF patients is a strong motivating factor for applying a combined brain/heart MRI to identify early brain/heart lesions and modify risk stratification accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: To present the interaction between brain/heart and emphasize the role of combined brain/heart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SNA). Recent Findings: Both traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and intrinsic RA/SNA features contribute to the increased CVD-related morbidity/mortality. CVD in RA usually occurs a decade earlier than age- and sex-matched controls, and RA patients are twice more likely to develop myocardial infarction irrespective of age, history of prior CVD, and traditional CVD risk factors. RA also increases risk of non-ischemic heart failure (HF), valvular disease, and myo-pericarditis. CVD in SNA affects more commonly patients with long-standing disease. Ascending aortitis, aortic/mitral insufficiency, conduction defects, and diastolic dysfunction are the commonest findings in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). CVD is also the leading cause of death in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), due to myopericarditis, diastolic dysfunction, and valvular disease. Brain damage, due to either ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke and silent vascular damage, such as white matter hyperenhancement (WMH), is increased in both RA/SNA and may lead to cognitive dysfunction, depression, and brain atrophy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is ideal for serial brain/heart evaluation of patients with systemic diseases. Summary: RA/SNA patients are at high risk for brain/heart damage at early age, irrespectively of classic risk factors. Until more data will be obtained, a combined brain/heart MRI evaluation can be proposed in RA/SNA with new onset of arrhythmia and/or HF, cognitive dysfunction and/or depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]