Abstract #2638

Yue K, Cloak C, Chang L, Alicata D, Taketa K, Ernst T

The interactive effect of aging and HIV on brain metabolites in antiretroviral medication-stable HIV subjects is unknown. We studied age-related metabolite changes in three groups: seronegative controls and seropositive subjects with and without cognitive deficits. Localized proton MRS was employed to measure metabolites in four brain regions. Significant age-related increases in frontal gray matter N-acetylaspartate and choline, and status x age interactions, were observed in both controls and HIV neuroasymptomatic subjects. HIV dementia subjects showed lesser age-related increase in N-acetylaspartate in the frontal lobe. These findings demonstrate additive and interactive effects of aging and HIV infection on brain metabolites.