title: Brief report: effects of pediatric HIV infection on mental and psychomotor development.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effect of HIV status on infants' mental and psychomotor functioning, controlling for confounding factors such as prenatal drug exposure and birth conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty HIV-infected and 25 seroreverted infants (ages 3-30 months old) were administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) and a neurological examination at two time points, 4 to 12 months apart. The majority were from ethnic minority, socioeconomically disadvantaged families; 67% of the infants were prenatally drug-exposed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HIV-infected infants had significantly lower scores on the BSID at baseline (mental development) and follow-up (motor development) compared to seroreverters. When HIV and neurological deficits were considered together, HIV+ children with neurological deficits scored significantly lower than HIV+ children without neurological deficits and seroreverters, with and without neurological diagnoses. Prenatal drug exposure was not associated with performance on the BSID.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that CNS involvement is a critical pathway by which HIV affects infants' neurodevelopment.
authors.affiliation: Boston University Medical Center, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mellins
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Levenson
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Arpadi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kairam
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers