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Neurocognitive function profile in HIV-infected school-age children
Sanneke Koekkoek1, Leo M J de Sonneville, Tom F W Wolfs
1Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Vrije Universiteit, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.koekkoek@jeugdriagg-nhz.nl
Insights
School-age children with HIV show average IQ but subtle neurocognitive deficits, particularly in executive function and processing speed. Early treatment and longer duration correlate with better cognitive outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric HIV research
- Neuropsychology
- Cognitive science
Background:
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection can impact neurological development.
- Neurocognitive function in school-aged children with HIV requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the neurocognitive function of school-age children with HIV.
- To examine the relationship between patient, disease, and treatment factors and neurocognitive outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional observational study.
- Administered global intelligence tests and Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (ANT).
- Analyzed relationships between clinical factors and cognitive performance.
Main Results:
- HIV-infected children had average IQ but poorer performance on specific neuropsychological tests.
- Executive function (attentional flexibility, visuospatial working memory) and processing speed were most affected.
- Higher CD4% at highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) initiation and longer treatment duration correlated with better working memory and attentional control.
Conclusions:
- Subtle neurocognitive impairments, especially in executive function and processing speed, may affect school-age children with HIV.
- Exploratory findings suggest potential benefits of early and sustained treatment.
- Further research with larger cohorts is necessary to validate these results.
Objectives:
Evaluation of neurocognitive function of school-age children with HIV.
Design:
Cross-sectional observational study.
Methods:
Twenty-two children (median age 9.46 years) with perinatally acquired HIV infection were administered a global intelligence test and tests from the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (ANT) program. The relationship between various patient-, disease- and treatment factors and neurocognitive outcome variables was examined.
Results:
Compared with age-appropriate norms, mean IQ of the HIV-infected children was in the average range. However, the HIV-infected children performed poorer on several neuropsychological tests compared with age-appropriate norms. Executive function (attentional flexibility, visuospatial working memory) and processing speed emerged as the most sensitive cognitive measures in relation to HIV disease. The correlational analyses resulted in only two significant outcomes, showing that higher CD4% at initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and longer treatment duration were associated with better working memory function and attentional control, respectively.
Conclusions:
These exploratory data suggest that subtle neurocognitive impairments may exist in HIV-infected school-age children, in particular characterized by compromised executive function and slowed information processing. Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to confirm these findings.
