14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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Asymptomatic stage of HIV-1-infection: lack of association between peripheral load and attention / psychomotor speed.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. A10058)

Canizares S, Blanch J, Raspall T, Rousaud A, Salamero M, Boget T, Garcia F, Gatell JM
Departament de Psiquiatria i Psicobiologia Clinica, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

BACKGROUND: Human Immunodeficiency Virus causes a range of neurobehavioural complications which compromise cognitive function. At symptomatic stages of the infection most studies agree on the findings of impaired performance on attention, psychomotor abilities, mental processing speed, and some aspects of memory and executive functions. However, research with medically asymptomatic patients has yielded conflicting results. Another unresolved issue is the relationship between HIV associated cognitive impairment and level of immunosuppression or severity of infection.

OBJECTIVES: To study the association between peripheral viral load and some cognitive domains related to mild cognitive impairment at asymptomatic stages of the HIV-1-infection.

METHODS: Subjects: The sample was composed by 46 HIV-1 positive asymptomatic patients (CDC A1). Procedure: We selected measures of attention, psychomotor speed, and cognitive processing speed from a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The mean age of the patients was 36 years, and 31% of the patients were receiving HAART.

RESULTS: Performances in all the cognitive domains were in the average level. No significant associations between peripheral viral load and cognitive measures was found even after controlling for the effect of age and antiretroviral therapy.

CONCLUSIONS: The question of the relationship between cognitive performance and markers of the severity of the HIV-infection should be more appropriately addressed by more sophisticated tests, and measures of direct effect of the HIV-infection in the central nervous system as cerebrospinal fluid viral load.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV Infections, Viral Load, Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active, HIV-1, AIDS Dementia Complex, Attention, Association, HIV Seropositivity, Reaction Time, Mental Processes, Memory, HumanKWDaegis,hivinfections,viralload,antiretroviraltherapy,highlyactive,hiv-1,aidsdementiacomplex,attention,association,hivseropositivity,reactiontime,mentalprocesses,memory,human

020707
A10058

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.