Altered intrinsic local activity and cognitive dysfunction in HIV patients: A resting-state fMRI study

Abstract

Purpose: To characterize resting-state brain activation patterns and investigate altered areas for cognitive decline in HIV patients.

Methods: Twelve male HIV patients with intact cognition (HIV-IC), 10 with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND), and 11 male healthy controls (HC) underwent resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI). Three rsfMRI values, regional homogeneity (ReHo), amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), and fractional ALFF (fALFF) were calculated and compared between groups. Correlation analyses were performed between rsfMRI values and neuropsychological tests.

Results: rsfMRI analyses revealed decreased rsfMRI values in the frontal areas, and increases in the posterior brain regions for both HIV-IC and HAND compared to HC. When directly compared to HIV-IC, HAND showed lower fALFF in the orbitofrontal cortex and higher ReHo in the primary sensorimotor area. Additionally, decreased orbitofrontal fALFF, increased sensorimotor ReHo, and a larger difference between the two values were highly correlated with decreased verbal memory and executive function in HIV patients.

Conclusions: Regardless of cognitive status, altered local intrinsic activities were found in HIV patients. The orbitofrontal cortex and primary sensorimotor area were more disrupted in HAND relative to HIV-IC and correlated with behavioral performance, suggesting these areas are relevant to cognitive impairment in HIV patients.