Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

A Thin-skull Window Technique for Chronic Two-photon In vivo Imaging of Murine Microglia in Models of Neuroinflammation
Published on: September 19, 2010
Elderly people with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1-associated myelopathy present an early impairment in cognitive
Beatriz Rezende Matos de Sousa1, Ludimila Labanca1,2,3, Maria Luiza Diniz3
1Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Faculdade de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
Background:
Cerebral changes occur in individuals with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy (HAM) and seem to predominate in subcortical areas. Little is known about the cognitive decline in the elderly living with HTLV-1.
Objective:
To evaluate the cognitive aging of individuals infected with HTLV-1 aged ≥ 50 years.
Methods:
This is a cross-sectional study of former blood donors infected with HTLV-1 who have been followed in the cohort of the Interdisciplinary Research Group on HTLV-1 since 1997. The groups of study consisted of 79 HTLV-1 infected individuals aged ≥ 50 years, with 41 of them presenting symptomatic HAM and 38 being asymptomatic carriers, and 59 seronegative individuals (controls) aged ≥ 60 years. All were submitted to the P300 electrophysiological test and neuropsychological tests.
Results:
Individuals with HAM presented delayed P300 latency in relation to the other groups, and this latency delay increased progressively with aging. The performance of this group in the neuropsychological tests was also the worst. The HTLV-1- asymptomatic group performance was similar to that of the control group.
Conclusions:
Individuals with HAM presented cognitive decline that progressed with aging and, although HTLV-1-asymptomatic carriers appear to present cognitive aging similar to that of healthy elderly people, concern about a subclinical cognitive impairment is warranted in this population.
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Huntington Disease l: Introduction
Dementia l: Introduction
Hepatic Encephalopathy

