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. 2012 Jul;18(4):657-68.
doi: 10.1017/S1355617712000434. Epub 2012 May 24.

Effects of HIV and early life stress on amygdala morphometry and neurocognitive function

Uraina S Clark  1 , Ronald A Cohen, Lawrence H Sweet, Assawin Gongvatana, Kathryn N Devlin, George N Hana, Michelle L Westbrook, Richard C Mulligan, Beth A Jerskey, Tara L White, Bradford Navia, Karen T Tashima
Affiliations

Effects of HIV and early life stress on amygdala morphometry and neurocognitive function

Uraina S Clark et al. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2012 Jul.

Abstract

Both HIV infection and high levels of early life stress (ELS) have been related to abnormalities in frontal-subcortical structures, yet the combined effects of HIV and ELS on brain structure and function have not been previously investigated. In this study we assessed 49 non-demented HIV-seropositive (HIV+) and 47 age-matched HIV-seronegative healthy control (HC) adults. Levels of ELS exposure were quantified and used to define four HIV-ELS groups: HC Low-ELS (N = 20); HC High-ELS (N = 27); HIV+ Low-ELS (N = 24); HIV+ High-ELS (N = 25). An automated segmentation tool measured volumes of brain structures known to show HIV-related or ELS-related effects; a brief neurocognitive battery was administered. A significant HIV-ELS interaction was observed for amygdala volumes, which was driven by enlargements in HIV+ High-ELS participants. The HIV+ High-ELS group also demonstrated significant reductions in psychomotor/processing speed compared with HC Low-ELS. Regression analyses in the HIV+ group revealed that amygdala enlargements were associated with higher ELS, lower nadir CD4 counts, and reduced psychomotor/processing speed. Our results suggest that HIV infection and high ELS interact to increase amygdala volume, which is associated with neurocognitive dysfunction in HIV+ patients. These findings highlight the lasting neuropathological influence of ELS and suggest that high ELS may be a significant risk factor for neurocognitive impairment in HIV-infected individuals.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean (+SEM) amygdala volume measures (corrected for intracranial volume) for each group. Note: *p ≤.05, **p <.01.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean (+SEM) group scores on the psychomotor/processing speed composite index. Note: **p ≤.01.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Correlations between left amygdala volumes (corrected for intracranial volume) and psychomotor/processing speed composite scores in the HIV+ group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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