Sex-based differences in neurocognitive functioning in HIV-infected young adults

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Immunology
• Public Health

Background:

• Cognitive differences in HIV-positive individuals are debated.
• This study examines cognition, HIV status, and sex in young Romanians infected in childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between HIV status, sex, and cognitive performance.
• To identify potential sex-specific effects of HIV on cognition.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study comparing 250 HIV-positive individuals with 72 HIV-negative controls.
• Neurocognitive, psychological, and medical evaluations were performed.
• Linear regression analyzed the effects of sex and HIV on cognitive outcomes.

Main Results:

• HIV status was linked to lower global cognitive performance, irrespective of sex.
• An interaction between sex and HIV was observed in the psychomotor domain.
• HIV-positive women exhibited poorer motor skills compared to HIV-negative women, with disease severity correlating with motor function decline.

Conclusions:

• Long-term HIV infection equally affects cognitive performance in most domains for both sexes.
• Women with HIV show a preferential detrimental effect on psychomotor functioning.
• Disease markers like low CD4 counts are specifically associated with poorer motor skills in women.