Neuropsychometric performance of asymptomatic HIV-infected subjects

The objective of this study was to determine whether there are measurable differences in neuropsychometric performances between HIV-positive asymptomatic subjects and high-risk HIV-negative individuals. We carried out concurrent neuropsychological testing of HIV-positive subjects screened for drug treatment protocols at a clinical research center and HIV-negative subjects seeking confidential testing. Fifty HIV-negative and 33 HIV-positive subjects who did not admit to use of central nervous system (CNS)-active drugs, more than one drink of alcohol per day, or drug use comprised the final group for analysis. A neuropsychological test battery designed to evaluate verbal memory, motor function, orientation and attention was administered to all subjects. In addition, affective state was assessed with the Beck depression inventory. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated no difference in the performance of the two groups. Only one subtest, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale digit span (forward) reached a level of significant difference (P < 0.05) by univariate analysis. We conclude that neuropsychometric performance of asymptomatic HIV-positive subjects cannot be distinguished from that of high-risk HIV-negative subjects by a battery of traditional neuropsychological tests.