Abstract #2208

Do Age & Long-Term HIV Infection Control Affect Brain Metabolites?

Caroline Rae¹, Lucette Adeline Cysique², Jae Muyng Lee³, Tammy Lane⁴, Kirsten Moffat⁵, Andrew Carr⁶, Bruce James Brew⁷

¹Neurosciences Research Australia, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; ²Brain Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; ³Neurosciences Research Australia, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; ⁴Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; ⁵Medical Imaging, St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia; ⁶Immunology & Infectious Diseases, St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia; ⁷Neurology, St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia

To test whether age and immune status affect neurocognitive and metabolic outcomes in HIV infection, we examined 61 clinically stable, virally controlled HIV+ individuals aged > 45y, and 16 HIV-negative demographically-comparable controls using neuropsychological testing and 1H-MRS. While, most HIV+ individuals showed sub-clinical forms of neurocognitive impairment, we found evidence of neuronal loss density/dysfunction (reduced NAA) reduced brain metabolism (reduced Glx) and elevated myo-inositol/creatine in caudate nucleus - a subcortical region traditionally affected in HIV infection. We also identified these abnormalities in posterior cingulate cortex, an area known to be affected by pathological aging.