CEREBRAL & NEUROCOGNITIVE FNCTN IN HIV-INFECTED PRSNS W/ADVNCD HRT DISZ ON HAART

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. HIV infection can result in problems in brain function or brain structure such a decrease in the volume of a brain region and problems in mental function and behavior. Certain medications for HIV infection may help with these problems, but it is possible that some patients with HIV may still develop these problems especially as they become older or have had HIV for a long period of time. The purpose of this study is to understand the effects of HIV infection over time on brain function and structure in addition to mental function and behavior. The aims of the study are to identify which patients may be at greater risk for these brain complications, discover factors or "biomarkers" that will help determine which patients may be a risk and to understand how changes in treatment, CD4 count, viral load and other markers of immune or viral function affect the brain. To achieve these goals, we will determine and compare the amount of different brain chemicals and the volume of different brain regions by taking images of the brain using an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) in HIV-infected people. We will also compare these results to those from neurological and neuropsychological tests and to levels of factors such as CD4 count, HIV and other proteins related to the immune system.