Date Published:
2008

Publication Type:
Journal Article

Authors:

A.J. Levine
C.H. Hinkin
K. Ando
G. Santangelo
M. Martinez
M. Valdes-Sueiras
E.H. Saxton
G. Mathisen
D. Commins
A. Moe
C. Farthing
E.J. Singer

Secondary:
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology

Volume:
30

Pagination:
836-43

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

Keywords:
Internal

Abstract:
<p>Central nervous system opportunistic infections (CNS-OI) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in AIDS. While current interventions are increasingly successful in treating CNS-OI, little information exists regarding long-term behavioral outcomes among survivors. In this exploratory study we examined neurocognitive data among three groups of adults with different AIDS-related CNS-OI: 15 with past cryptococcal meningitis (CM), 8 with toxoplasmosis encephalitis (TE), and 8 with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). A group of 61 individuals with AIDS, but without CNS-OI, was used as a comparison group. A battery of standardized neuropsychological tests assessing a variety of cognitive domains was administered upon entry. Results indicate that individuals with a history of CNS-OI were most impaired on measures of cognitive and psychomotor speed relative to the HIV+ comparison group. Among the CNS-OI groups, individuals with history of TE had the most severe and varied deficits. The results are discussed in relation to what is known about the neuropathological consequences of the various CNS-OIs. While this is the first systematic group study of residual CNS-OI effects on neurocognitive function, future studies employing more participants, perhaps focusing on specific CNS-OIs, will further characterize the long-term outcomes in AIDS-related CNS-OI.</p>