HNRP investigators led by J. A. McCutchan published data from the CHARTER Study showing that lipodystrophy-related waistline increases adversely affected cognition in HIV infected patients but that overall weight gain conferred a protective effect against cognitive decline. 

The analysis found four factors associated with cognitive impairment (older age, a longer time living with HIV, diabetes (notably in those older than 55), increased waist circumference) but that overall body mass index (BMI) was not associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. In fact, it was associated with a 30 percent lower risk of neurocognitive impairment in the study.

To Read Full Article Click Here.

To Cite: 
McCutchan JA, Marquie-Beck JA, FitzSimons CA, Letendre SL, Ellis RJ, Heaton RK, Wolfson T, Rosario D, Alexander TJ, Marra C, Ances BM, Grant I, for the CHARTER Group. (2012). Role of obesity, metabolic variables, and diabetes in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder. Neurology, 78 (7): 485-492 .


The article "AIDS: 30 Years of progress and promise assisted by La Jolla researchers"  includes references to several La Jolla-based UCSD HIV/AIDS researchers and research programs, including Dr. Igor Grant and the Translational Methamphetamine AIDS Research center (TMARC), with general descriptions of the state of AIDS research 30 years into the epidemic.

To Cite:
Friedmann, L. (2011, Nov. 30). AIDS: 30 years of progress and promise assisted by La Jolla researchers. La Jolla Light.


Results of this study showed that inconsistency in performing mental tasks was significantly worse in older HIV-positive participants compared to both younger HIV-positive participants and older HIV-negative study participants. The authors hypothesized that the problems are due to accelerated aging in the HIV-positive population, which has been observed in other studies.

To Cite:

Morgan EE, Woods SP, Delano-Wood L, Bondi MW, Grant I.  (2011). Intraindividual variability in HIV infection: Evidence for greater neurocognitive dispersion in older HIV seropositive adults. Neuropsychology, 25(5), 645-54. PMID: 21574712  PMCID: 3158302

Link to Abstract

 

In this study, the authors evaluated the relationship between cognitive impairment and nadir CD4 count in 1,525 HIV patients across the U.S.  Results from a recent study indicate that the lowest CD4 count measured after HIV infection, called the nadir CD4 count, is a predictor of brain impairment in people with HIV. In particular, lower nadir CD4 counts were associated with increased likelihood of cognitive impairment.

To Cite:

Ellis RJ, Badiee J, Vaida F, Letendre S, Heaton RK, Clifford D, Collier AC, Gelman B, McArthur J, Morgello S, McCutchan JA, Grant I for the CHARTER Group. (2011). Nadir CD4 is a predictor of HIV neurocognitive impairment in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy. 25(14), 1747-1751.

Link to Abstract

 

George Hightower, a UCSD MD/PhD student with an infectious disease concentration, was recently interviewed for the NIH's Findings Magazine.  His research focuses on the genetic attributes of HIV, especially as related to the brain and cognition.

Click Here to read the full article.

Several Hightower HNRP Publications:


Hightower GK, Letendre SL, Cherner M, Gibson SA, Ellis RJ, Wolfson TJ, Gamst AC, Ignacio CC, Heaton RK, Grant I, Richman DD, Smith DM, and the HNRC Group.  (2009). Select resistance-associated mutations in blood are associated with lower CSF viral loads and better neuropsychological performance. Virology, 394 (2), 243-248. PMID: 19762060  PMCID: 3046809 

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