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Implications of vascular depression for successful cognitive aging in HIV Disease

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Abstract

Although older adults with HIV are at high risk for mild neurocognitive disorders, a subset experience successful cognitive aging (SCA). HIV is associated with an increased risk of vascular depression (VasDep), which can affect cognitive and daily functioning. The current study examined whether VasDep impedes SCA among older adults with HIV. 136 persons with HIV aged 50 years and older were classified as either SCA+ (n = 37) or SCA- (n = 99) based on a battery of demographically adjusted neurocognitive tests and self-reported cognitive symptoms. Participants were also stratified on the presence of vascular disease (e.g., hypertension) and current depression as determined by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and the Depression/Dejection scale of the Profile of Mood States. A Cochran-Armitage test revealed a significant additive effect of vascular disease and depression on SCA in this sample of older adults with HIV (z = 4.13, p <.0001). Individuals with VasDep had the lowest frequency of SCA+ (0%), which differed significantly from the group with only vascular disease (30%, OR = 0.04, CI = 0.002,0.68)) and the group with neither vascular disease nor depression (47% OR = 0.02, CI = 0.33,0.001). Findings were not confounded by demographics, HIV disease severity, or other psychiatric and medical factors (ps > 0.05). These data suggest that presence of VasDep may be a barrier to SCA in older adults with HIV disease. Prospective, longitudinal studies with neuroimaging-based operationalizations of VasDep are needed to further clarify this risk factor’s role in the maintenance of cognitive and brain health in persons with HIV disease.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by NIH grants R01-MH073419, R21-MH098607 and P30-MH62512. VMD is supported by the National Institute on Aging (U19AG073172, U19AG065169). The authors are grateful to the UC San Diego HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP) Group (I. Grant, PI) for their infrastructure support; in particular, we thank Donald Franklin, Dr. Erin Morgan, Clint Cushman, and Stephanie Corkran for their assistance with data processing, Marizela Verduzco for her assistance with study management, Drs. Scott Letendre and Ronald J. Ellis for their assistance with the neuromedical aspects of the parent project, and Dr. J. Hampton Atkinson and Jennifer Marquie Beck and their assistance with participant recruitment and retention. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the United States Government. The authors thank the study volunteers for their participation.

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Correspondence to Steven Paul Woods.

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Mustafa, A.I., Beltran-Najera, I., Evans, D. et al. Implications of vascular depression for successful cognitive aging in HIV Disease. J. Neurovirol. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13365-024-01201-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13365-024-01201-2

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