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Burdo TH, Robinson JA, Cooley S, Smith MD, Flynn J, Petersen KJ, Nelson B, Westerhaus E, Wisch J, Ances BM. Increased Peripheral Inflammation Is Associated With Structural Brain Changes and Reduced Blood Flow in People With Virologically Controlled HIV. J Infect Dis 2023; 228:1071-1079. [PMID: 37352555 PMCID: PMC10582906 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While antiretroviral therapy (ART) has improved outcomes for people with HIV (PWH), brain dysfunction is still evident. Immune activation and inflammation remain elevated in PWH receiving ART, thereby contributing to morbidity and mortality. Previous studies demonstrated reduced functional and structural changes in PWH; however, underlying mechanisms remain elusive. METHODS Our cohort consisted of PWH with ART adherence and viral suppression ( < 50 copies/mL; N = 173). Measurements included immune cell markers of overall immune health (CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio) and myeloid inflammation (CD16+ monocytes), plasma markers of inflammatory status (soluble CD163 and CD14), and structural and functional neuroimaging (volume and cerebral blood flow [CBF], respectively). RESULTS Decreased CD4/CD8 ratios correlated with reduced brain volume, and higher levels of inflammatory CD16+ monocytes were associated with reduced brain volume in total cortex and gray matter. An increase in plasma soluble CD14-a marker of acute peripheral inflammation attributed to circulating microbial products-was associated with reduced CBF within the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital cortices and total gray matter. CONCLUSIONS CD4/CD8 ratio and number of CD16+ monocytes, which are chronic immune cell markers, are associated with volumetric loss in the brain. Additionally, this study shows a potential new association between plasma soluble CD14 and CBF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tricia H Burdo
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Inflammation, Center for Neurovirology and Gene Editing, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jake A Robinson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Inflammation, Center for Neurovirology and Gene Editing, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Sarah Cooley
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Mandy D Smith
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Inflammation, Center for Neurovirology and Gene Editing, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jacqueline Flynn
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Inflammation, Center for Neurovirology and Gene Editing, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Kalen J Petersen
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Brittany Nelson
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Elizabeth Westerhaus
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Julie Wisch
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Beau M Ances
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
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Thippabhotla S, Adeyemo B, Cooley SA, Roman J, Metcalf N, Boerwinkle A, Wisch J, Paul R, Ances BM. Comparison of Resting State Functional Connectivity in Persons With and Without HIV: A Cross-sectional Study. J Infect Dis 2023; 228:751-758. [PMID: 37228129 PMCID: PMC10503955 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study examined the effects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in a large cohort of people with HIV (PWH) and healthy controls without HIV (PWoH). Within PWH analyses focused on the effects of viral suppression and cognitive impairment on RSFC. METHODS A total of 316 PWH on stable combination antiretroviral therapy and 209 demographically matched PWoH were scanned at a single institution. Effects of the virus were examined by grouping PWH by detectable (viral load > 20 copies/mL; VLD) and undetectable (VLU) viral loads and as being cognitively impaired (CI) (Global Deficit Score ≥ 0.5) or cognitively normal (CN). Regression analysis, object oriented data analysis, and spring embedded graph models were applied to RSFC measures from 298 established brain regions of interest comprising 13 brain networks to examine group differences. RESULTS No significant RSFC differences were observed between PWH and PWoH. Within PWH, there were no significant differences in RSFC between VLD and VLU subgroups and CI and CN subgroups. CONCLUSIONS There were no significant effects of HIV on RSFC in our relatively large cohort of PWH and PWoH. Future studies could increase the sample size and combine with other imaging modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Babatunde Adeyemo
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Sarah A Cooley
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - June Roman
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Nicholas Metcalf
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Anna Boerwinkle
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Julie Wisch
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Robert Paul
- University of Missouri-St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Beau M Ances
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
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O’Connor EE, Sullivan EV, Chang L, Hammoud DA, Wilson TW, Ragin AB, Meade CS, Coughlin J, Ances BM. Imaging of Brain Structural and Functional Effects in People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus. J Infect Dis 2023; 227:S16-S29. [PMID: 36930637 PMCID: PMC10022717 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Before the introduction of antiretroviral therapy, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was often accompanied by central nervous system (CNS) opportunistic infections and HIV encephalopathy marked by profound structural and functional alterations detectable with neuroimaging. Treatment with antiretroviral therapy nearly eliminated CNS opportunistic infections, while neuropsychiatric impairment and peripheral nerve and organ damage have persisted among virally suppressed people with HIV (PWH), suggesting ongoing brain injury. Neuroimaging research must use methods sensitive for detecting subtle HIV-associated brain structural and functional abnormalities, while allowing for adjustments for potential confounders, such as age, sex, substance use, hepatitis C coinfection, cardiovascular risk, and others. Here, we review existing and emerging neuroimaging tools that demonstrated promise in detecting markers of HIV-associated brain pathology and explore strategies to study the impact of potential confounding factors on these brain measures. We emphasize neuroimaging approaches that may be used in parallel to gather complementary information, allowing efficient detection and interpretation of altered brain structure and function associated with suboptimal clinical outcomes among virally suppressed PWH. We examine the advantages of each imaging modality and systematic approaches in study design and analysis. We also consider advantages of combining experimental and statistical control techniques to improve sensitivity and specificity of biotype identification and explore the costs and benefits of aggregating data from multiple studies to achieve larger sample sizes, enabling use of emerging methods for combining and analyzing large, multifaceted data sets. Many of the topics addressed in this article were discussed at the National Institute of Mental Health meeting "Biotypes of CNS Complications in People Living with HIV," held in October 2021, and are part of ongoing research initiatives to define the role of neuroimaging in emerging alternative approaches to identifying biotypes of CNS complications in PWH. An outcome of these considerations may be the development of a common neuroimaging protocol available for researchers to use in future studies examining neurological changes in the brains of PWH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E O’Connor
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Edith V Sullivan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Linda Chang
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dima A Hammoud
- Center for Infectious Disease Imaging, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Tony W Wilson
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Ann B Ragin
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Christina S Meade
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer Coughlin
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Beau M Ances
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Strain JF, Cooley SA, Tomov D, Boerwinkle A, Ances BM. Abnormal Magnetic Resonance Image Signature in Virologically Stable HIV Individuals. J Infect Dis 2022; 226:2161-2169. [PMID: 36281565 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With implementation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), changes to brain integrity in people with HIV (PWH) are subtle compared to those observed in the pre-cART era. T1-weighted/T2-weighted (T1w/T2w) ratio has been proposed as a measure of cortical myelin. This study examines T1w/T2w values between virologically controlled PWH and persons without HIV (PWoH). METHODS Virologically well-controlled PWH (n = 164) and PWoH (n = 120) were compared on global and regional T1w/T2w values. T1w/T2w values were associated with HIV disease variables (nadir and current CD4 T-cell count, and CNS penetration effectiveness of cART regimen) in PWH, and as a function of age for both PWoH and PWH. RESULTS PWH had reduced global and regional T1w/T2w values compared to PWoH in the posterior cingulate cortex, caudal anterior cingulate cortex, and insula. T1w/T2w values did not correlate with HIV variables except for a negative relationship with CNS penetration effectiveness. Greater cardiovascular disease risk and older age were associated with lower T1w/T2w values only for PWH. CONCLUSIONS T1w/T2w values obtained from commonly acquired MRI protocols differentiates virologically well-controlled PWH from PWoH. Changes in T1w/T2w ratio do not correlate with typical HIV measures. Future studies are needed to determine the biological mechanisms underlying this measure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy F Strain
- Department of Neurology, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Sarah A Cooley
- Department of Neurology, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Dimitre Tomov
- Department of Neurology, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Anna Boerwinkle
- Department of Neurology, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Beau M Ances
- Department of Neurology, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
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