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Altered structural brain changes and neurocognitive performance in pediatric HIV

Santosh K Yadav1, Rakesh K Gupta2, Ravindra K Garg3

  • 1Division of Translational Medicine, Research Branch, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Doha, Qatar.

Neuroimage. Clinical
|February 23, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric HIV patients show altered brain structure and connectivity, impacting neurocognitive functions. These changes may explain developmental delays and cognitive impairments in children living with HIV.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Pediatric HIV infection is linked to neurodevelopmental delays and cognitive impairment.
  • Brain tissue injury is documented in adult HIV patients, but less is known about pediatric cases.
  • Understanding brain changes in perinatally HIV-infected children is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate structural brain changes and neurocognitive function in perinatally HIV-infected children.
  • To compare brain structure and connectivity between pediatric HIV patients and healthy controls.
  • To explore the relationship between brain alterations and cognitive deficits in pediatric HIV.

Main Methods:

  • 34 perinatally HIV-infected children and 32 healthy controls underwent neurocognitive assessment.
  • Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 3T clinical scanner.
  • Analysis included cortical thickness, subcortical volume, and structural network connectivity.

Main Results:

  • Pediatric HIV patients exhibited altered cortical thickness and subcortical volumes.
  • Neuropsychological test scores were significantly abnormal in the HIV-infected group.
  • Structural network analysis revealed reduced connection strengths, lower clustering, and increased path length in HIV patients.
  • Cortico-limbic network hubs and betweenness were distorted in pediatric HIV patients.

Conclusions:

  • Altered brain structures and regional connectivity in pediatric HIV patients correlate with neurocognitive deficits.
  • These findings highlight the impact of HIV on brain development and function in children.
  • Longitudinal studies are needed to track HIV's effects on brain development under ART treatment.

Keywords:
AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndromeC, clustering coefficientCortical thicknessELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assayFA, flip angelFLAIR, fluid attenuation inversion recoveryFOV, field of viewFSPGR, fast spoiled gradient echoGAT, graph-theoretical analysis toolboxHIV, human immunodeficiency virusHuman immunodeficiency virusL, characteristic path lengthMRI, magnetic resonance imagingMagnetic resonance imagingNeurocognitive functionsRAKIT, revised Amsterdamse kinder intelligenceROIs, regions of interestSW, small-world indexStructural connectivitySubcortical volumeTBM, tensor based morphometryTE, echo timeTR, repetition time

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