Skip to main content

Functional connectivity measured with magnetoencephalography identifies persons with HIV disease

Brain Imaging and Behavior volume 6, pages 366–373 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

There is need for a valid and reliable biomarker for HIV Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND). The purpose of the present study was to provide preliminary evidence of the potential utility of neuronal functional connectivity measures obtained using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to identify HIV-associated changes in brain function. Resting state, eyes closed, MEG data from 10 HIV-infected individuals and 8 seronegative controls were analyzed using mutual information (MI) between all pairs of MEG sensors to determine whether there were functional brain networks that distinguished between subject groups based on cognition (global and learning) or on serostatus. Three networks were identified across all subjects, but after permutation testing (at α < .005) only the one related to HIV serostatus was significant. The network included MEG sensors (planar gradiometers) above the right anterior region connecting to sensors above the left posterior region. A mean MI value was calculated across all connections from the anterior to the posterior groupings; that score distinguished between the serostatus groups with only one error (sensitivity = 1.00, specificity = .88 (X 2 = 15.4, df = 1, p < .01, Relative Risk = .11). There were no significant associations between the MI value and the neuropsychological Global Impairment Rating, substance abuse, mood disorder, age, education, CD4+ cell counts or HIV viral load. We conclude that using a measure of functional connectivity, it may be possible to distinguish between HIV-infected and uninfected individuals, suggesting that MEG may have the potential to serve as a sensitive, non-invasive biomarker for HAND.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Antinori, A., Arendt, G., Becker, J. T., Brew, B. J., Byrd, D. A., Cherner, M., et al. (2007). Updated research nosology for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Neurology, 69(18), 1789–1799.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Antinori, A., Arendt, G., Becker, J. T., Brew, B. J., Byrd, D. A., Clifford, D. B., et al. (2005). Biomarkers of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. In Presented at the Conference: HIV Infection and the Central Nervous System: Developed and Resource limited Settings, June 11–13, 2005, Frascati (Rome), Italy.

  • Bajo, R., Castellanos, N. P., Lopez, M. E., Ruiz, J. M., Montejo, P., Montenegro, M., et al. (2011). Early dysfunction of functional connectivity in healthy elderly with subjective memory complaints. Age (Dordrecht, Netherlands). doi:10.1007/s11357-011-9241-5.

  • Bajo, R., Maestu, F., Nevado, A., Sancho, M., Gutierrez, R., Campo, P., et al. (2010). Functional connectivity in mild cognitive impairment during a memory task: implications for the disconnection hypothesis. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 22(1), 183–193. doi:10.3233/JAD-2010-100177.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, J. T., Sanders, J., Madsen, S. K., Ragin, A., Kingsley, L., Maruca, V., et al. (2011). Subcortical brain atrophy persists even in HAART-regulated HIV disease. Brain Imaging and Behavior. doi:10.1007/s11682-011-9113-8.

  • Bridge, T. P. (1988). AIDS and HIV CNS disease: a neuropsychiatric disorder. Advances in Biochemical Psychopharmacology, 44, 1–13.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buechel, C., & Friston, K. J. (1997). Characterising Functional Integration. In R. S. J. Frackowiak, K. J. Friston, C. D. Frith, R. J. Dolan, & J. C. Mazziotta (Eds.), Human brain function (pp. 127–140). San Diego: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, L., Ernst, T., Ames, N., Walot, I., Jovicich, J., DeSilva, M., et al. (2003). Persistent brain abnormalities in antiretroviral-naive HIV patients 3 months after HAART. Antiviral Therapy, 8(1), 17–26.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, L., Ernst, T., St Hillaire, C., & Conant, K. (2004). Antiretroviral treatment alters relationship between MCP-1 and neurometabolites in HIV patients. Antiviral Therapy, 9(3), 431–440.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, L., Ernst, T., Witt, M. D., Ames, N., Galefsky, M., & Miller, E. (2002). Relationships among brain metabolics, cognitive function, and viral loads in antiretroviral-naive HIV patients. NeuroImage, 17(3), 1638–1648.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, L., Pee, L. P., Yiannoustos, C. T., Ernst, T., Marra, C. M., Richards, T., et al. (2004). A multicenter in vivo proton-MRS study of HIV-associated dementia and its relationship to age. NeuroImage, 23(4), 1336–1347.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, J. L., Mega, M., Gray, K., Rosenberg-Thompson, S., Carusi, D. A., & Gornbein, J. (1994). The neuropsychiatric inventory: comprehensive assessment of psychopathology in dementia. Neurology, 44, 2308–2314.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cysique, L. A., Maruff, P., & Brew, B. J. (2004). Prevalence and pattern of neuropsychological impairment in human immunodeficiency virus-infected/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients across pre- and post-highly active antiretroviral therapy eras: a combined study of two cohorts. Journal of Neurovirology, 10(6), 350–357.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Derogatis, L. R., & Spencer, P. M. (1982). The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI): Administration, scoring, and procedures manual-I. Baltimore: Clinical Psychometrics Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engel, A. K., Fries, P., & Singer, W. (2001). Dynamic predictions: oscillations and synchrony in top-down processing. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2(10), 704–716. doi:10.1038/3509456535094565.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ernst, M. D. (2004). A basis for exact inference. Statistical Science, 19(4), 676–685.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ernst, T., Chang, L., Jovicich, J., Ames, N., & Arnold, S. (2002). Abnormal brain activation on functional MRI in cognitively asymptomatic HIV patients. Neurology, 59(9), 1343–1349.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fries, P. (2005). A mechanism for cognitive dynamics: neuronal communication through neuronal coherence. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(10), 474–480. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2005.08.011.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Friston, K. J. (1994). Functional and effective connectivity in neuroimaging: a synthesis. Human Brain Mapping, 2, 56–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friston, K. J., Frith, C. D., Liddle, P. F., & Frackowiak, R. S. J. (1993). Functional connectivity: the principal-component analysis of large (PET) data sets. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 13, 5–14.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heaton, R. K., & Pendelton, M. G. (1981). Use of neuropsychological tests to predict adult patients’ everyday functioning. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 307–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herbster, A. N., Nichols, T., Wiseman, M. B., Mintun, M. A., DeKosky, S. T., & Becker, J. T. (1996). Functional connectivity in auditory verbal short-term memory in Alzheimer’s disease. NeuroImage, 4, 67–77.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hlaváčková-Schindler, K., Paluš, M., Velmejka, M., & Bhattacharya, J. (2007). Causality detection based on information-theoretic approaches in time series analysis. Physics Reports, 441(1), 1–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, A. P., Blair, R. C., Watson, J. D. G., & Ford, I. (1996). Nonparametric analysis of statistical images from functional mapping experiments. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 16, 7–22.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lawton, M. P., & Brody, E. M. (1969). Assessment of older people: self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living. The Gerontologist, 9, 179–186.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McIntosh, A. R., Grady, C. L., Ungerleider, L. G., Haxby, J. V., Rapoport, S. I., & Horwitz, B. (1994). Network analysis of cortical visual pathways mapped with PET. Journal of Neuroscience, 14(2), 655–666.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, S. G., Weiner, M. W., Thal, L. J., Petersen, R. C., Jack, C., Jagust, W., et al. (2005). The Alzheimer’s disease neuroimaging initiative. Neuroimaging Clinics of North America, 15(4), 869–877.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Navia, B. A., & Rostasy, K. (2005). The AIDS dementia complex: clinical and basic neuroscience with implications for novel molecular therapies. Neurotoxicity Research, 8, 3–24.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nichols, T. E., & Holmes, A. P. (2002). Nonparametric permutation tests for functional neuroimaging: a primer with examples. Hum Brain Mapping, 15(1), 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oldfield, R. C. (1971). The assessment and analysis of handedness: the Edinburgh inventory. Neuropsychologia, 9(1), 97–113.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Papanicolaou, A. C., Simos, P. G., Castillo, E. M., Breier, J. I., Sarkari, S., Pataraia, E., et al. (2004). Magnetocephalography: a noninvasive alternative to the Wada procedure. Journal of Neurosurgery, 100, 867–876.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paul, R. H., Yiannoutsos, C. T., Miller, E. N., Chang, L., Marra, C. M., Schifitto, G., et al. (2007). Proton MRS and neuropsychological correlates in AIDS dementia complex: evidence of subcortical specificity. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 19(3), 283–292.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Price, R. W., Epstein, L. G., Becker, J. T., Cinque, P., Gisslen, M., Pulliam, L., et al. (2007). Biomarkers of HIV-1 CNS infection and injury. Neurology, 69(18), 1781–1788.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sacktor, N., Lyles, R. H., Skolasky, R., Kleeberger, C., Selnes, O. A., Miller, E. N., et al. (2001). HIV-associated neurologic disease incidence changes: multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, 1990–1998. Neurology, 56, 257–260.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sacktor, N., McDermott, M. P., Marder, K., Schifitto, G., Selnes, O. A., McArthur, J. C., et al. (2002). HIV-associated cognitive impairment before and after the advent of combination therapy. Journal of Neurovirology, 8, 136–142.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., Giggon, M., & First, M. B. (1990). Structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R. New York: Biometrics Research Department, NY State Psychiatric Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stam, C. J., Jones, B. F., Manshanden, I., van Cappellen van Walsum, A. M., Montez, T., Verbunt, J. P., et al. (2006). Magnetoencephalographic evaluation of resting-state functional connectivity in Alzheimer's disease. NeuroImage, 32(3), 1335–1344. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.05.033.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Varela, F., Lachaux, J. P., Rodriguez, E., & Martinerie, J. (2001). The brainweb: phase synchronization and large-scale integration. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2(4), 229–239. doi:10.1038/35067550.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Foryt, P., Ochs, R., Chung, J. H., Wu, Y., Parrish, T. B., et al. (2011). Abnormalities in Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Early Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection. Brain Connectivity 2011, 1(3), 207, doi: 10.1089/brain.2011.0016.

  • Woods, S. P., Rippeth, J. D., Frol, A. B., Levy, J. K., Ryan, E., Soukup, V. M., et al. (2004). Interrater reliability of clinical ratings and neurocognitive diagnoses in HIV. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 26(6), 759–778.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by funds from the National Institute of Mental Health (R03-MH081721). The sponsor had no role in the design, analysis or interpretation of this study. The authors are grateful to D. Martineck, A. Schubert and L. Teverovsky for their assistance with this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    James T. Becker, Melissa Fabrizio & Howard J. Aizenstein

  2. Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    James T. Becker, Oscar L. Lopez & Anto Bagic

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    James T. Becker

  4. Laboratory of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Complutense University of Madrid and Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Bajo, Pablo Cuesta & Fernando Maestu

  5. Department of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Gustavo Sudre

  6. Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3339, USA

    David Wolk

  7. Brain Research Unit, Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University School of Science, Helsinki, Finland

    Lauri Parkkonen

  8. Elekta Oy, Helsinki, Finland

    Lauri Parkkonen

  9. Neuropsychology Research Program, Suite 830, 3501 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    James T. Becker

Authors
  1. James T. Becker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ricardo Bajo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Melissa Fabrizio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Gustavo Sudre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Pablo Cuesta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Howard J. Aizenstein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Oscar L. Lopez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. David Wolk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Lauri Parkkonen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Fernando Maestu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Anto Bagic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to James T. Becker.

Additional information

This work was supported in part by funds from the National Institute of Mental Health (R03-MH081721). The sponsor had no role in the design, analysis or interpretation of this study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Becker, J.T., Bajo, R., Fabrizio, M. et al. Functional connectivity measured with magnetoencephalography identifies persons with HIV disease. Brain Imaging and Behavior 6, 366–373 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-012-9149-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-012-9149-4

Keywords

  • HIV disease
  • Cognition
  • Magnetoencephalography
  • Functional connectivity