Structural and functional brain change in HIV

描述(申请人提供)：HIV+患者在认知领域有困难，与额纹状体网络功能障碍一致。这项研究旨在利用体积磁共振技术对一组无症状的HIV+患者的萎缩进行特征描述，从而在疾病发展为艾滋病之前调查病毒对大脑结构的影响。此外，这项研究的目的是通过使用fMRI来研究推理任务中的大脑活动，从而增强对艾滋病毒感染后大脑功能的了解。推理任务似乎是受病毒影响的认知领域。重要的是，这项提议将分析来自结构和功能磁共振成像的数据，从而解决感染艾滋病毒后结构和功能如何受到影响的问题。它还旨在探索通过标准神经心理测试程序衡量的认知缺陷如何与大脑结构和功能相关。这些研究将增加对艾滋病毒对无症状患者大脑功能影响的科学理解。增加对艾滋病毒功能和结构变化如何相互作用的了解，对于理解艾滋病毒认知衰退的过程，以及确定早期认知干预的机会都有意义。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): HIV+ patients have difficulties in cognitive realms consistent with dysfunction of the fronto-striatal network. This study aims to characterize atrophy in a group of asymptomatic HIV+ patients using volumetric MRI techniques, thereby investigating the effects of the virus on brain structure before the illness progresses to AIDS. In addition, this study aims to enhance the understanding of brain functioning after HIV infection by using fMRI to investigate brain activity during a reasoning task, a cognitive realm that appears impacted by the virus. Importantly, this proposal will analyze the data from both the structural and functional MRIs in conjunction with one another, thereby addressing how structure and function are impacted after infection with HIV. It also aims to explore how cognitive deficits as measured by standard neuropsychological testing procedures correlate with brain structure and function. These studies will increase scientific understanding of the impact of HIV on brain functioning in asymptomatic patients. Increasing knowledge of how functional and structural changes interact in HIV has implications for both understanding the course of HIV cognitive decline, and for identifying an opportunity for early cognitive intervention.