Cognitive function in asymptomatic HIV infection
D. L. Damos, R. S. John, E. S. Parker and A. M. Levine
Institute of Safety and Systems Management, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the nature and extent of cognitive deficits in
early stage (asymptomatic) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive
homosexual and bisexual men. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used to
compare 27 HIV-positive, asymptomatic (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention stages 2 and 3) homosexual and bisexual men, who were designated
as the seropositive group, with 29 seronegative homosexual and bisexual
men, who were designated as the control group. METHODS: The participant
groups were closely matched on a number of demographic and lifestyle
variables. Participants were carefully and repeatedly screened for
substance abuse, a history of psychiatric problems, use of psychoactive
medications, and neurological problems. All participants completed an
extensive neuropsychological battery and a computerized information
processing battery to identify cognitive deficits. RESULTS: No significant
between-group differences were found on either the neuropsychological
assessments or the information processing tests. Additionally, we found no
evidence of a subgroup of seropositive, asymptomatic individuals with
general cognitive slowing. CONCLUSIONS: Educated, HIV-positive asymptomatic
individuals may show little difference in cognitive performance compared
with a group of matched controls when the groups are carefully screened and
matched. Additionally, computerized tests may be no more sensitive than
neuropsychological tests to cognitive decrements for these types of
participants.
