title: Verbal memory declines more rapidly with age in HIV infected versus uninfected adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In the current era of effective antiretroviral treatment, the number of older adults living with HIV is rapidly increasing. This study investigated the combined influence of age and HIV infection on longitudinal changes in verbal and visuospatial learning and memory.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this longitudinal, case-control design, 54 HIV seropositive and 30 seronegative individuals aged 40-74 years received neurocognitive assessments at baseline visits and again one year later. Assessment included tests of verbal and visuospatial learning and memory. Linear regression was used to predict baseline performance and longitudinal change on each test using HIV serostatus, age, and their interaction as predictors. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to assess the effects of these predictors on overall baseline performance and overall longitudinal change.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The interaction of HIV and age significantly predicted longitudinal change in verbal memory performance, as did HIV status, indicating that although the seropositive group declined more than the seronegative group overall, the rate of decline depended on age such that greater age was associated with a greater decline in this group. The regression models for visuospatial learning and memory were significant at baseline, but did not predict change over time. HIV status significantly predicted overall baseline performance and overall longitudinal change.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first longitudinal study focused on the effects of age and HIV on memory. Findings suggest that age and HIV interact to produce larger declines in verbal memory over time. Further research is needed to gain a greater understanding of the effects of HIV on the aging brain.
authors.affiliation: a Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Aging , University of Florida , Gainesville , FL , USA.
authors.forename: Talia R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Seider
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Assawin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gongvatana
authors.forename: Kathryn N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Devlin
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: de la Monte
authors.forename: Jesse D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Chasman
authors.forename: Peisi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Karen T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Tashima
authors.forename: Bradford
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Navia
authors.forename: Ronald A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Autoimmune diseases; Cognitive aging; HIV; HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder; Memory