Linda Chang1, Marilou Andres2,
Jeff Sadino1, Caroline Jiang1, Helenna Nakama3,
Ute Feger1, Thomas Ernst1
1Department of Medicine, John A. Burns
School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, United
States; 2Pacific Biomedical Research Center, University of Hawaii
at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, United States; 3Department of Psychiatry,
John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu,
HI, United States
The
presence of apolipoprotein (Apo) E4 allele
may accelerate the progression of HIV disease, and increase the risk for
developing HIV associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). Whether Apo E4 allele and age may influence
subcortical brain atrophy in HIV patients are unknown and were evaluated in
this study. Smaller subcortical
structures were found in HIV patients with HAND, less so in those with normal
cognition. ApoE4 genotype was
associated with greater atrophic effects in the younger but not older HIV
patients, which suggests that ongoing neuro-inflammatory processes may be
more robust and have stronger deleterious effects in the younger patients.
