Publication Abstract Display
Type: Published Abstract
Title: CSF quinolinic acid is associated with reduced speed of processing in HIV-1 infection.
Authors: Diehr MC, Marcotte TD, Heyes MP, Nelson JA, Ellis RJ, McCutchan JA, Heaton RK, Grant I, and the HNRC Group
Year: 1998
Publication: Journal of NeuroVirology
Volume: 4 Issue: Pages: 347
Abstract:Previous research has indicated that slowed reaction time (RT) is associated with elevated levels of CSF quinolinic acid (QA). In this study we attempted to determine whether the QA effect was specific to RT and speeded information-processing measures, or associated with a broader disruption of cognitive function. Forty-nine HIV+ subjects completed the study. The mean age of the subjects was 36.5 (6.8) years, and the median CSF QA level was 36.4 nM (range 15.5 to 1372). 18 subjects had an AIDS diagnosis. All subjects underwent a lumbar puncture and completed the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), a computerized battery that assesses attention, executive functioning, visual memory, working memory and motor speed. Factor analysis of CANTAB results showed that higher QA was related worse performance on reaction time, visual attentional vigilance, and response accuracy (r=.35, p=.01). The relationships with other cognitive functions were not significant (all p's > .1). The correlations were essentially unchanged after removing subjects with pleocytosis (>5 WBCs/ml, n=9). QA levels did not differ between AIDS and non-AIDS subjects. Elevated CSF QA is therefore associated with reduced speed of information processing but not other cognitive disturbances. This suggests that QA has a role in some aspects of HIV-related neurocognitive dysfunction, perhaps related to its selective actions in specific brain regions.

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