Increased prevalence of septal cavitation in a nonschizophrenic sample: an MRI study of HIV-infected individuals.
Analyses of MRI scans of 26 asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals (HIV+) and 10 HIV-seronegative psychiatric control subjects (HIV-) revealed an incidental finding: 50% of the HIV+ subjects had discernible cleft in the septum pellucidum (cavum septi pellucidi; CSP), compared to only 20% of the HIV- control subjects. HIV+ subjects with CSP were more likely to complain of sensory changes and performed more poorly on specific neuropsychological tests when compared with HIV+ subjects without CSP. These findings suggest that elevated rates of CSP are not limited to the schizophrenic population. CSP may be a marker of premorbid events that increase the vulnerability to cognitive and perhaps behavioral sequelae of neurologic disease or injury.
Lalonde
F M
FM
Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. francois@codon.nih.gov
Martin
A
A
Myslobodsky
M S
MS
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012688:Septum Pellucidum / Q000473:pathology*
D015415:Biomarkers