Publication Abstract Display
Type: Published Abstract
Title: Neuropsychology of HIV: from phenomenology to mechanisms and outcomes.
Authors: Grant I
Year: 2002
Publication: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society
Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 313
Abstract:The first cases of AIDS were reported in 1981, and neurological complications were noted soon thereafter. This symposium reviews progress that has taken place toward understanding the neurobiologic bases and consequences of neuroAIDS in the 15 years since publication of the first study that described the neuropsychology of HIV at various disease stages (Grant et al., 1987). In his introductory comments the Symposium Organizer (Grant) will overview the neuropsychological (NP) phenomenology of HIV. The first paper (Cherner et al.) will describe the neural injury that has been observed in the brains of those dying with HIV, and link these to ante mortem NP changes in the same subjects to demonstrate that in-life NP decline has discrete neuropathologic underpinnings. The second paper (Taylor) reports on the combined insult of methamphetamine abuse and HIV infection on brain function, from studies involving both NP and MR spectroscopic methods. The third paper (Rivera-Mindt) demonstrates the relationship between NP and HIV concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid, which may serve as a window into CNS events. This paper also describes the effects of antiviral treatments on both HIV concentration and NP. The fourth paper (Heaton) links NP and virologic indicators to real life functioning, including measures of activities of daily living and driving. The discussants will critique the studies presented, and propose directions for further research. Beyond providing attendees with new information on NP of HIV, the symposium emphasizes a model of NP research that takes advantage of multidisciplinary collaborations to illuminate the neurobiologic underpinnings, as well as the practical implications of NP observations, both in terms of treatment and everyday functioning.

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