Resting state network connectivity alterations in HIV: Parallels with aging

Abstract

The increasing incidence of age‐related comorbidities in people with HIV (PWH) has led to accelerated aging theories. Functional neuroimaging research, including functional connectivity (FC) using resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI), has identified neural aberrations related to HIV infection. Yet little is known about the relationship between aging and resting‐state FC in PWH. This study included 86 virally suppressed PWH and 99 demographically matched controls spanning 22–72 years old who underwent rs‐fMRI. The independent and interactive effects of HIV and aging on FC were investigated both within‐ and between‐network using a 7‐network atlas. The relationship between HIV‐related cognitive deficits and FC was also examined. We also conducted network‐based statistical analyses using a brain anatomical atlas (n = 512 regions) to ensure similar results across independent approaches. We found independent effects of age and HIV in between‐network FC. The age‐related increases in FC were widespread, while PWH displayed further increases above and beyond aging, particularly between‐network FC of the default‐mode and executive control networks. The results were overall similar using the regional approach. Since both HIV infection and aging are associated with independent increases in between‐network FC, HIV infection may be associated with a reorganization of the major brain networks and their functional interactions in a manner similar to aging.

Matrix-Variate Regression for Sparse, Low-Rank Estimation of Brain Connectivities Associated With a Clinical Outcome

“…These five regions are spread across The response-relevant edges discovered by SpINNEr reveal quite complex dependency structure which involves the brain regions mostly from three lobes: frontal, parietal and occipital. Significantly weaker functional and structural connectivity in these lobes in people with HIV compared with uninfected controls was discovered before [39], [40]. The difference in functional connectivity between HIV-infected subjects and controls in the frontal lobe was also reported in [41].…”

Accelerated aging in people living with HIV: The neuroimmune feedback model

“…Existing evidence suggests that PLWH exhibit lower resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in multiple large-scale networks, including the CEN, compared to healthy controls ( Thomas et al, 2013 ). Recent research suggests that aging and HIV are associated with similar organizational patterns in the brain's network architecture ( Lew et al, 2023 ). Given the role of systemic inflammation in the pathophysiology of both aging- and HIV-related comorbidities ( Ferrucci and Fabbri, 2018 ), it is plausible that systemic inflammation is one of the mechanisms driving lower CEN rsFC in PLWH.…”