Circulating endothelial and angiogenic cells predict hippocampal volume as a function of HIV status

Circulating endothelial cells (CECs) and myeloid angiogenic cells (MACs) have the capacity to stabilize human blood vessels in vivo. Evidence suggests that these cells are depleted in dementia and in persons living with HIV (PWH), who have a higher prevalence of dementia and other cognitive deficits associated with aging. However, the associations of CECs and MACs with MRI-based measures of aging brain health, such as hippocampal gray matter volume, have not been previously demonstrated. The present study examined differences in these associations in 51 postmenopausal women with and without HIV infection. Gray matter volume was quantified using MRI. CECs and MACs were enumerated using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Analyses examined the association of these cell counts with left and right hippocampal gray matter volume while controlling for age and hypertension status. The main finding was an interaction suggesting that compared to controls, postmenopausal PWH with greater levels of CECs and MACs had significantly greater hippocampus GMV. Further research is necessary to examine potential underlying pathophysiological mechanisms in HIV infection linking morpho-functional circulatory reparative processes with more diminished hippocampal volume in postmenopausal women.