Brain Microstructural Correlates of Cognitive Dysfunction in Clinically and Biochemically Normal Hepatitis C Virus...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Hepatology
• Radiology

Background:

• Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can affect individuals who are clinically and biochemically normal.
• Previous research suggests potential links between HCV and neurological complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between HCV infection and neurocognitive performance.
• To identify structural brain abnormalities and white matter changes in asymptomatic HCV patients using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT).

Main Methods:

• Recruited 40 anti-HCV positive patients and 31 healthy controls.
• Subjects underwent quality of life assessments, neuropsychometric tests (NPT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• Diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) metrics were used to analyze white matter integrity.

Main Results:

• HCV patients showed significantly lower neuropsychological functioning compared to healthy controls.
• Decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) values and myoinsitol were observed in white matter tracts of HCV subjects.
• Neuropsychological scores positively correlated with white matter integrity.

Conclusions:

• Asymptomatic HCV infection is associated with structural brain abnormalities and neurocognitive dysfunction.
• DTT metrics reveal white matter changes in the brains of HCV-positive individuals.
• These findings highlight the neurological impact of HCV, even in the absence of overt symptoms.