Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 May;22(5):1562-1572.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-016-1643-z.

A Longitudinal Analysis of the Impact of Physical Activity on Neurocognitive Functioning Among HIV-Infected Adults

Catherine A Dufour #  1 , María J Marquine #  1 , Pariya L Fazeli  1 , Anya Umlauf  1 , Brook L Henry  1 , Zvinka Zlatar  1 , Jessica L Montoya  1   2 , Ronald J Ellis  1   3 , Igor Grant  1 , David J Moore  4 ; HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program Group
Affiliations

A Longitudinal Analysis of the Impact of Physical Activity on Neurocognitive Functioning Among HIV-Infected Adults

Catherine A Dufour et al. AIDS Behav. 2018 May.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Higher levels of physical activity (PA) have been linked to better neurocognitive functioning in many populations. The current study examines the longitudinal association between PA and neurocognitive functioning among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected persons. Community-dwelling adults (N = 291) self-reported level of PA and completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery at two to four study visits (Mean follow-up time = 2.6 years). Participants were divided into three PA groups: "No PA" (no PA at any visit), "consistent PA" (PA at ≥50% of visits), and "inconsistent PA" (PA < 50% of visits). A mixed effect model, adjusting for significant covariates showed that all PA groups had statistically significant, yet modest, neurocognitive decline over time; and, the consistent PA group began with, and maintained, significantly better neurocognitive function compared to the other two PA groups. This effect was evident among both HIV-uninfected and HIV-infected persons, despite the fact that HIV-infected persons showed lower baseline neurocognitive function. PA is a modifiable lifestyle behavior that may help to protect against neurocognitive impairment regardless of HIV status, however, given the proportion of HIV-infected individuals who evidence neurocognitive difficulties, a focus on increasing PA seems warranted.

La actividad física (AF) ha sido asociada con un mejor funcionamiento neurocognitivo en varios grupos. Este estudio examinó la asociación longitudinal entre la AF y el funcionamiento neurocognitivo en personas con y sin infección del VIH. Adultos viviendo en la comunidad (N = 291) proporcionaron información acerca de sus niveles de AF y completaron una batería neuropsicológica exhaustiva. Los participantes completaron entre dos y cuatro visitas relacionadas con el estudio (tiempo de seguimiento promedio = 2,6 años) y fueron divididos en tres grupos de AF: “Ninguna AF” (Ninguna AF durante todas las visitas del estudio), “AF Consistente” (AF durante 50% o más de las visitas del estudio), y “AF Inconsistente” (AF durante menos del 50% de las visitas del estudio). Un modelo estadístico mixto, ajustando por el efecto de variables externas, indicó que hubo una reducción estadísticamente significativa, pero poco pronunciada, en el funcionamiento neurocognitivo en todos los grupos. Además, el grupo con AF Consistente demostró un mejor funcionamiento neurocognitivo en comparación con los otros dos grupos de AF al comienzo del estudio, el cual se mantuvo durante el seguimiento. A pesar de que las personas con VIH demostraron un funcionamiento neurocognitivo más bajo al comienzo del estudio que las personas sin VIH, el efecto de AF fue demostrado en los dos grupos. Es importante recalcar que la AF es un factor de vida modificable que podría proteger contra los daños neurocognitivos independientemente de si las personas tienen o no VIH. Dada la proporción de personas con VIH que demuestran problemas neurocognitivos relacionados con esta enfermedad, será importante enfocar los esfuerzos investigativos en desarrollar formas de incrementar la AF en este grupo de personas.

Keywords: Cognition; Exercise; HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders; HIV/AIDS; Neurocognitive impairment; Physical activity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Financial Disclosure: Catherine A. Dufour declares that she has no conflict of interest. María J. Marquine declares that she has no conflict of interest. Pariya L. Fazeli declares that she has no conflict of interest. Anya Umlauf declares that she has no conflict of interest. Brook L. Henry declares that he has no conflict of interest. Zvinka Zlatar declares that she has no conflict of interest. Jessica L. Montoya declares that she has no conflict of interest. Ronald J. Ellis declares that he has no conflict of interest. Igor Grant declares that he has no conflict of interest. David J. Moore declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
a and b. Mixed-effect linear model examining the longitudinal relationship between neurocognitive change (i.e., practice adjusted global scaled scores) and PA group (No PA, Consistent PA, Inconsistent PA) by HIV status. The HIV-uninfected group (Figure 1a) demonstrated better overall neurocognitive function than the HIV-infected group (Figure 1b), and there were no significant differences in neurocognitive change over time between the PA groups as evidenced by similar slopes across PA groups. PA=Physical Activity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect sizes, measured by Cohen’s d, for estimating group differences in mean practice-adjusted scaled scores for the entire sample. Values were obtained from multivariable mixed-effect linear models examining the longitudinal relationship between neurocognitive change and PA group (No PA, Consistent PA, Inconsistent PA). PA=Physical Activity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Smit M, Brinkman K, Geerlings S, et al. Future challenges for clinical care of an ageing population infected with HIV: A modelling study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2015;15(7):810–818. - PMC - PubMed
    1. United States Senate Special Committee on Aging. Older Americans: The Changing Face of HIV/AIDS in America. Washington, D. C.: 2013.
    1. Heaton RK, Clifford DB, Franklin DR, et al. HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders persist in the era of potent antiretroviral therapy: CHARTER Study. Neurology. 2010;75(23):2087–2096. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Antinori A, Arendt G, Becker JT, et al. Updated research nosology for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Neurology. 2007;69(18):1789–1799. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Heaton RK, Marcotte TD, Mindt MR, et al. The impact of HIV-associated neuropsychological impairment on everyday functioning. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2004;10(3):317–331. - PubMed

Publication types