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13th Annual International Symposium on NeuroVirology
The 13th International Symposium on NeuroVirology (ISNV) was held on June 2-6, 2015 at The Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, California.
Drs. Jeymohan Joseph and Cristian Achim (HNRP Investigator) chaired an International NeuroAIDS Workshop that featured the work of several HNRP investigators. The workshop took place during the ISNV meeting on June 3, 2015 and featured the following talks:
- NIMH global neuroAIDS programs (Jeymohan Joseph, PhD; National Institute of Mental Health, Office of AIDS Research)
- Neuroimaging and neuropsychological markers of HIV clade C neurovirulence (Robert Paul, PhD; University of Misouri, Saint Louis)
- NeuroAIDS in rural Uganda (Deanna Saylor, MD; Johns Hopkins University)
- HAND in a Romanian cohort of young adults infected parenterally since childhood (Luminita Ene, MD, PhD; “Dr. Victor Babes” Hospital, Bucharest, Romania; *HNRP Collaborator)
- HAND prevention in China (Scott Letendre, MD; *HNRP)
- Multi-year follow-up of the impact of ART initiation on cognition (Tom Marcotte, PhD; *HNRP)
Erica Weber and Jordan Cattie awarded their PhDs on June 14, 2015
Dr. Igor Grant, Director of the HNRP congratulates Erica Weber and Jordan Cattie who were awarded their PhDs at the UCSD graduation ceremony on June 14, 2015. Both Dr. Weber and Dr. Cattie's dissertations were conducted under the direction of investigators at UCSD's NIDA Center of Excellence, the Translational Methamphetamine AIDS Research Center. The titles of their dissertations are "Self-Generation of Prospective Memory in HIV-Infected Methamphetamine Users" (Weber) and Theory of Mind and Risk Behavior in Individuals with HIV and Methamphetamine Dependence (Cattie).
International Research Collaboration in Russia
Drs. Igor Grant (University of California, San Diego) and Evgeny Krupitsky (Pavlov State Medical University, St. Petersburg) are conducting research looking at the effects of heroin abstinence on the immune system in HIV infected individuals. The study “Heroin Abstinence Induced HPA & SAM Dysregulation Disrupts HIV Virologic Control” aims to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting research on drug abuse and neuroAIDS in Russia. Results from the study could pinpoint when and if immune dysregulation during heroin detoxification increases the risk of neurocognitive impairment through loss of virologic control.
Major Depressive Episodes and Apathy in HIV Infection
Dr. Rujvi Kamat conducted the first study to investigate the longitudinal relationship between apathy and depression in HIV infected individuals. Approximately 30–50% of HIV+ individuals present with clinically elevated signs of apathy. In HIV-infected persons apathy is associated with poor medication adherence and health-related quality of life. She found that new depressive episodes are a risk factor for increased risk of incident apathy in individuals who previously reported no apathetic tendencies. HIV related injury to the central nervous system as shown by brain white matter abnormalities may be a possible cause.
To Cite:
Kamat R, Cattie JE, Marcotte TD, Woods SP, Franklin DR, Corkran SH, Ellis RJ, Grant I, Heaton RK. (2015). Incident Major Depressive Episodes Increase The Severity And Risk of Apathy in HIV Infection. Journal of Affective Disorders, 175C, 475-480. PMID: 25679203. PMCID: PMC4386921.
Jessica Montoya Announced as Society of Behavioral Medicine Meritorious Student Winner
Jessica Montoya's abstract submission for this year’s Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) annual meeting taking place April 22-25, 2015 has been selected by the reviewers and Program Committee as an excellent student author submission, and will be recognized as a Meritorious Student Abstract. Jessica Montoya is a 4th year doctoral student in the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology who works under the supervision of David J. Moore, PhD, and Igor Grant, MD.