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Updated: Mar 27, 2026
A Rat Model of EcoHIV Brain Infection
Published on: January 21, 2021
Regional Cerebral Gray Matter Volume in HIV-Positive Patients with Executive Function Deficits
Diogo Goulart Corrêa1,2, Nicolle Zimmermann1,3, Tania Maria Netto1
1Department of Radiology, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Purpose:
To evaluate whether human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients with and without executive functions deficits and healthy control subjects differ on cortical thickness and subcortical brain structures volume in vivo.
Methods:
In total, 34 HIV-positive patients with executive functions deficits were compared with 13 HIV-positive patients without executive functions deficits and 19 gender-, age-, and education-matched control subjects. Executive functions impairments were classified by performance on the Wisconsin card sorting test. T1 3-dimensional magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo-weighted imaging was performed using a 1.5 Tesla (magnetic resonance) MR scanner. FreeSurfer software was used to perform cortical reconstruction and volumetric segmentation of subcortical gray matter structures.
Results:
HIV-positive patients with executive functions deficits had smaller volumes in the right and left caudate compared with the HIV-positive patients without executive functions deficits and control groups. In addition, HIV-positive patients with executive functions deficits had smaller volumes in their left accumbens, right putamen, and globus pallidum compared with the control group. No significant differences in cortical thickness were observed between the groups.
Conclusion:
HIV-positive patients with executive functions deficits have reduced volumes of several subcortical structures, primarily in the caudate nucleus.
