CHANGE IN NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE IN ASYMPTOMATIC HIV-INFECTION - 1-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Objective: To examine the stability of cognitive function in patients with asymptomatic HIV infection. Design: Previous longitudinal studies of cognitive function have focused on patients who progress in terms of disease stage. The present study avoided this potential confounding factor by including only subjects who remained in the asymptomatic stage of infection over the follow-up period. Method: Subjects were administered an extensive neuropsychological test battery at baseline and 1 year follow-up. Overall performance was characterized as normal or abnormal based on the performance of a well-matched HIV-negative control group. Results: A significantly higher proportion of HIV-positive subjects became abnormal at the follow-up examination. Comparison of the seropositive subjects who remained normal with those who became abnormal revealed no differences at baseline on age, education, depression or CD4 levels. Subjects who became abnormal had worse performance at baseline on measures of information processing, verbal learning and memory, and reaction time. Conclusions: These data indicate that cognitive function may decline in some patients who continue to be in the asymptomatic stage of infection. Patients with a pattern of cognitive abnormalities at baseline, which includes information processing and reaction time deficits, may be at increased risk for declines in function during early stages of infection.