Publication Abstract Display
Type: Published Abstract
Title: Additive effects of HIV infection and aging on neuropsychological functioning.
Authors: Iudicello J, Woods SP, Roman PD, Deutsch R, Moore DJ, Grant I, and the HNRC Group
Year: 2010
Publication: International Neuropsychological Society
Volume: Issue: Pages:
Abstract:Objective: The advent of more effective treatment for HIV infection has resulted in a growing population of older adults living with HIV. While both HIV and aging are associated with cognitive impairment and share common neural mechanisms, questions remain regarding their combined effects on brain structure and function. Participants and Methods: Participants included 209 patients across 4 demographically matched groups: Younger (i.e., ≤ 40 years) Healthy Adults (n=82), Younger HIV-infected (n=40), Older (i.e., >50 years) Healthy Adults (n=37), and Older HIV-infected (n=49). Participants underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation assessing cognitive domains sensitive to both HIV and aging. Raw scores were converted to demographically-corrected T-scores, which were used to derive composite neuropsychological domain and global T-scores. Results: A series of Jonckheere-Terpstra tests for ordered monotonic trends were used to examine additivity effects, with cognitive performance predicted to decrease from groups high on the primary criterion (i.e., Younger Healthy Adults) to samples low on the criterion (i.e., Older HIV-positive). Results showed significant additive effects of HIV and aging on global cognitive functioning, and individual cognitive domains including executive functions, speed of information processing, episodic learning and memory, working memory, and motor skills (all p’s<0.005), with greatest deficits evident in the older, HIV-infected participants. Conclusions: Results suggest that HIV infection and aging confer adverse additive effects on cognitive functioning, which is consistent with research demonstrating adverse neural effects of HIV and aging on frontal and temporal systems. Future research should examine predictors of cognitive impairment in older HIV-infected individuals and the relationship between cognitive impairment and everyday functioning.

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