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Published on: December 3, 2019
Neuropsychological test performance before and after HIV-1 seroconversion: the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study
Quynh T Vo1, Christopher Cox, Xiuhong Li
1Division of AIDS, The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA. voqt@niaid.nih.gov
Journal of Neurovirology
|December 12, 2012
Summary
This study found no significant cognitive changes in individuals after HIV-1 seroconversion. Neuropsychological tests showed minimal impact on psychomotor speed and complex cognitive processing up to two years post-infection.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Infectious Diseases
- Psychology
Background:
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection can impact cognitive function.
- Understanding acute changes in cognition following seroconversion is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare neuropsychological test performance before and after HIV-1 seroconversion.
- To identify acute changes in psychomotor speed, memory, attention, and concentration.
Main Methods:
- Nested cohort study of 362 male HIV-1 seroconverters.
- Longitudinal analysis using linear mixed models with random subject effects.
- Neuropsychological testing conducted up to 5 years pre-seroconversion and 2 years post-seroconversion.
Main Results:
- No significant changes in most neuropsychological test scores were observed after HIV-1 seroconversion.
- A minor 2% decrease in performance was noted on Trail Making Test Part B (p=0.042).
- Lower education, depression history, older age, and no prior testing correlated with worse performance.
Conclusions:
- HIV-1 infection does not appear to significantly affect psychomotor or complex cognitive processing within 2 years post-seroconversion.
- Despite CD4 cell count decrease, cognitive function remained largely stable in the early stages of infection.
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