Christina Louise Sammet1,
Jordan S. Muraskin2, Riti J. Mahadevia1, Ying Wu3,
Hongyan Du3, Leon Epstein1, Babafemi Taiwo1,
Ann B. Ragin1
1Northwestern
University, Chicago, IL, United States; 2Columbia University, New
York, NY, United States; 3NorthShore University Hospital,
Evanston, IL, United States
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced AIDS-related deaths worldwide; however, neurocognitive impairment is evident in nearly 50% of patients receiving treatment. This may reflect limited penetration of ART through the blood brain barrier resulting in reduced treatment efficacy in the central nervous system. The neuroprotective benefit of ART, therefore, is not well characterized. Evidence suggests that some agents used in ART regimens may actually be neurotoxic. In order to assess the effects of treatment on the brain, this study used diffusion imaging to study treated and untreated HIV+ subjects and age matched controls.