Date Published:
2023 Jun 04

Publication Type:
Journal Article

Authors:

E.E. Sundermann
L.M. Campbell
O. Villers
M.W. Bondi
B. Gouaux
D.P. Salmon
D. Galasko
V. Soontornniyomkij
R.J. Ellis
D.J. Moore

Secondary:
Viruses

Volume:
15

Issue:
6

PMID:
37376619

URL:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37376619

DOI:
10.3390/v15061319

Keywords:
Aged;Aged, 80 and over;Alzheimer Disease;Amyloid beta-Peptides;Biomarkers;Cognition;Female;Healthy Aging;Humans;Middle Aged;tau Proteins

Abstract:
<p>We determined the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathological hallmarks, amyloid-β and phosphorylated-Tau, in autopsied brains of 49 people with HIV (PWH) (ages: 50-68; mean age = 57.0) from the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium and in a comparative cohort of 55 people without HIV (PWoH) from the UC San Diego Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (17 controls, 14 mild cognitive impairment, 24 AD; ages: 70-102, mean age = 88.7). We examined how AD pathology relates to domain-specific cognitive functions in PWH overall and in sex-stratified samples. Amyloid-β and phosphorylated-Tau positivity (presence of pathology of any type/density) was determined via immunohistochemistry in AD-sensitive brain regions. Among PWH, amyloid-β positivity ranged from 19% (hippocampus) to 41% (frontal neocortex), and phosphorylated-Tau positivity ranged from 47% (entorhinal cortex) to 73% (transentorhinal cortex). Generally, AD pathology was significantly less prevalent, and less severe when present, in PWH versus PWoH regardless of cognitive status. Among PWH, positivity for AD pathology related most consistently to memory-related domains. Positivity for p-Tau pathology related to memory-related domains in women with HIV only, although the sample size of women with HIV was small ( = 10). Results indicate that AD pathology is present in a sizable portion of middle aged and older PWH, although not to the extent in older PWoH. Studies with better age-matched PWoH are needed to examine the effect of HIV status on AD pathology.</p>