J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1991; 3:422-428
Copyright © 1991 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
Neuropsychological abnormalities in asymptomatic HIV seropositive military personnel
LE Klusman, JM Moulton, LK Hornbostel, JJ Picano and MT Beattie
Psychology Service, Letterman Army Medical Service, Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129.
Comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations were performed on 103
asymptomatic, HIV-1 antibody seropositive U.S. Army males to assess
cognitive impairment. The sample was demographically heterogeneous. Using
established clinical norms, 37.9% of the sample had an abnormal
neuropsychological exam. Impairment varied as a function of ethnic group
but not as a function of emotional distress or disease status determined by
the Walter Reed staging system. We discuss our high frequency of impairment
relative to other studies in terms of subject characteristics,
methodological factors, and the possibility that subjects of average
intellectual ability possess inadequate capacity to moderate
neurobehavioral consequences of the virus.
