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Neurodevelopment in perinatally HIV-infected children: a concern for adolescence

Barbara Laughton1, Morna Cornell, Michael Boivin

  • 1Children's Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa. BL2@sun.ac.za

Journal of the International AIDS Society
|June 21, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Children perinatally infected with HIV (PHIV+) show poorer cognitive and behavioral outcomes, especially with AIDS diagnoses. More research is urgently needed on adolescent neurodevelopment in resource-limited settings.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • An estimated 3.4 million children globally live with HIV.
  • Limited understanding exists regarding HIV and antiretroviral treatment (ART) effects on the developing brain.
  • Neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes in perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) adolescents require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and summarize existing literature on neurodevelopmental outcomes in PHIV+ children and adolescents.
  • To identify gaps in current research, particularly concerning the adolescent age group and resource-constrained settings.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature review of studies on neurodevelopmental outcomes in PHIV+ children and adolescents.
  • Synthesis of evidence on behavior, cognition, school performance, and neurological issues.

Main Results:

  • PHIV+ children exhibit lower performance in general cognition, processing speed, and visual-spatial tasks compared to controls.
  • Increased risk of psychiatric and mental health problems is observed in PHIV+ children.
  • Children with AIDS-defining diagnoses face significantly higher risks for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • There is a critical lack of research on adolescent neurodevelopment (ages 10-25) in PHIV+ individuals, especially in high-prevalence, resource-limited countries.
  • Heterogeneity in infection, ART exposure, and environmental factors complicates research synthesis and generalization.
  • Longitudinal studies are urgently needed to understand the neurodevelopmental trajectory in PHIV+ children and adolescents, particularly in resource-constrained settings.

Keywords:
adolescentschildrenexecutive functionhearingneurocognitiveneurodevelopmentneurologicalperinatally HIV infected

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