Variations of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) are believed to have crucially influenced Earth's climate due to its key role in the inter-hemispheric redistribution of heat and carbon. To assess its past strength, the sedimentary Pa-231/Th-230 proxy has been developed and improved but also contested due to its sensitivity to other factors beyond ocean circulation. In order to provide a better basis for the understanding of the Atlantic Pa-231/Th-230 system, and therefore to shed light on the controversy, we compare new measurements of Holocene sediments from the north Brazilian margin to water column data and the output of a two-dimensional scavenging-circulation model, based on modern circulation patterns and reversible scavenging parameters. We show that sedimentary Pa-231/Th-230 data from one specific area of the Atlantic are in very good agreement with model results suggesting that sedimentary Pa-231/Th-230 is predominantly driven by the AMOC. Therefore, Pa-231/Th-230 represents an appropriate method to reconstruct past AMOC at least qualitatively along the western margin.