J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1990; 2:256-260
Copyright © 1990 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
Cognitive deficits associated with human immunodeficiency virus encephalopathy
R Krikorian, AJ Wrobel, C Meinecke, WM Liang and J Kay
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH 45267-0559.
The encephalopathy associated with direct nervous system infection by the
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been recognized as one of the major
debilitating aspects of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and
of pre-AIDS conditions. A comprehensive neuropsychological examination of
symptomatic HIV-infected subjects without opportunistic cerebral disease
demonstrated a distinctive pattern of cognitive deficits marked by
prominent attentional impairment. Evidence of organizational and reasoning
impairments also was observed, but language, visual-spatial, and memory
consolidation abilities were relatively preserved. The findings suggest a
profile of impairment similar to other cognitive syndromes involving
dysfunction of predominantly anterior brain structures and projections and
suggest a rationale for psychostimulant drug treatment.
