Correlation between inner retinal layer thickness and cognitive function in HIV: new insights from an exploratory...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• HIV infection can lead to neurological complications, including cognitive impairment.
• Retinal neurodegeneration may serve as a biomarker for central nervous system changes in HIV.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare retinal layer thickness in HIV-infected individuals with and without cognitive impairment.
• To correlate retinal layer thickness with cognitive status and clinical parameters in HIV patients.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study comparing 34 HIV patients with cognitive impairment (CI-HIV), 35 HIV patients without cognitive impairment (NCI-HIV), and 70 controls.
• Optical coherence tomography used to measure retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), and inner plexiform layer (IPL) thickness.
• Cognitive function assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test.

Main Results:

• GCL was significantly thinner in CI-HIV patients compared to NCI-HIV patients and controls.
• GCL and IPL thickness decreased significantly with age in HIV patients, but not in controls.
• GCL thickness positively correlated with MoCA scores in the HIV cohort.

Conclusions:

• Reduced GCL thickness is associated with cognitive impairment in HIV-infected individuals.
• GCL thickness may indicate accelerated cognitive aging in HIV.
• Retinal imaging could offer insights into HIV-associated cognitive decline.