Abnormalities of visual spatial attention in HIV infection and the HIV-associated dementia complex.
Covert orienting of visuospatial attention (COVAT) was examined in 88 homosexual or bisexual men: 12 with mild HIV-associated dementia complex (ADC), 30 neurologically intact with AIDS (NI-AIDS), 23 asymptomatic HIV+ (HIV+ASX), and 23 HIV-negative control subjects. In mild ADC, COVAT was normal for spatial but impaired for nonspatial cues; 17% of NI-AIDS and HIV+ASX subjects had similar COVAT impairment patterns and also showed cognitive deficits. HIV+ subjects with normal COVAT showed normal cognitive performance. Impairment of nonspatial attentional processing in the ADC subjects and subgroups of the neurologically intact HIV+ subjects may reflect early subcortical dysfunction caused by HIV infection. COVAT assessment may be sensitive for detection of early subclinical neurological impairment in HIV infection.
Maruff
P
P
Neurophysiology and Neurovisual Research Unit, Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Parkville, Australia.
Malone
V
V
McArthur-Jackson
C
C
Mulhall
B
B
Benson
E
E
Currie
J
J
D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000367:Age Factors; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D011594:Psychometrics; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*