Brain atrophy has been observed in perinatally HIV-infected patients (PHIV) despite initiation on combined antiretroviral treatment (cART), but neuroimaging studies are limited. We aimed to evaluate cortical thickness (CT) and subcortical gray matter (GM) volumes of PHIV youths with stable immunovirological situation and with a normal daily performance. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 25 PHIV patients on cART and 25 HIV-negative (HIV-) controls matched by age, sex, level of education, and socioeconomic status underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan. CAT12 toolbox was used to extract CT values from T1w images using parcellations from Desikan–Killiany atlas (DK40). To measure regional brain volumes, native segmented images were parceled in regions of interest according to the Neuromorphometrics Atlas. Neuropsychological assessment and psychopathological symptoms were documented. Fifty participants were included (60% females, median age 20 years [interquartile range, IQR 19–23], 64% Whites). No differences regarding neuropsychological tests or psychopathological symptoms were found between groups (all P > .05). All participants presented an average performance in the Fluid Intelligence (FI) test (PHIV mean: −0.12, HIV- mean: 0.24), When comparing CT, PHIV-infected patients showed thinner cortices compared with their peers in fusiform gyrus ( P = .000, P = .009), lateral-orbitofrontal gyrus ( P = .006, P = .0024), and right parsobitalis gyrus ( P = .047). Regarding subcortical GM volumes, PHIV patients showed lower right amygdala ( P = .014) and left putamen ( P = .016) volumes when compared with HIV- controls. Within the PHIV group, higher CD4 count was associated with higher volumes in right putamen (B = 0.00000038, P = .045). Moreover, increased age at cART initiation and lower nadir CD4 count was associated with larger volumes in left accumbens (B = 0.0000046, P = .033; B = −0.00000008, P = .045, respectively). PHIV patients showed thinner cortices of areas in temporal, orbito-frontal and occipital lobes and lower volumes of subcortical GM volumes when compared with the HIV- control group, suggesting cortical and subcortical brain alterations in otherwise neuroasymptomatic patients. Nevertheless, larger and longitudinal studies are required to determine the impact of HIV on brain structure in PHIV patients and to further identify risk and protective factors that could be implicated.
Background Sleep quality (SQ) data in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pediatric population are scarce. Our main objective was to assess SQ in our cohort and to determine the impact of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on sleep in a cohort of HIV-infected adolescents on cART. Materials and Methods The SQ was assessed through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NS) were recorded using an auto-administered questionnaire. To determine the antiretroviral (ARV) impact of efavirenz (EFV) on SQ, patients on EFV versus protease inhibitors-based regimens were compared. Results Forty-six patients were evaluated (median age: 16 years, interquartile range [IQR]: 10.8, 17)). Age at the start of ART: 1.3 years (0.4, 5.2); 23.9% showed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) category. Median CD4 at baseline was 656 (550, 808) cells/mm3; 91.3% had viral load <50 copies/mL. Median time on cART was 11.3 years (7.5, 15.2). Fifty-two percent of the patients were on EFV-based regimen. No differences were found in clinical and immunovirological variables although patients on EFV were older and were exposed for a longer time to ARV. Poor SQ was found in 26.1% of patients. Most frequent complaints were: sleep disturbances (76.1%), sleep latency (63%), and daytime dysfunction (54.3%). Similarly, there were no significant differences in NS between both treatment groups according to patients' reports but were significantly more common in bad sleepers. Patients on EFV-based regimen were more likely to repeat one or more school grades after the adjustment for age at evaluation and nadir CD4 percentage (odds ratio [OR]: 14.421, confidence interval [CI] 95%: 1.207–172.249, p = 0.035). Conclusions Sleep complaints and NS are common among our cohort of HIV adolescents on long-term cART and interestingly, not only in those who were receiving EFV.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.