Abstract

GARCIA-TORRES, Amalia; VERGARA-MORAGUES, Esperanza; PINON-BLANCO, Adolfo  and  PEREZ-GARCIA, Miguel. HIV-related neuropsychological impairment in patients with previous substance use: A preliminary study. rev.latinoam.psicol. [online]. 2015, vol.47, n.3, pp.213-221. ISSN 0120-0534.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rlp.2015.06.001.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can result in cognitive disorders that significantly interfere with the daily activities of HIV patients. These disorders may be worse when there is a history of psychoactive substance use. Our objective is to assess the neuropsychological profile in a group of HIV patients with previous drug use compared to a group of HIV-negative patients with a history of drug use. The study included a total of 28 Spanish adult subjects, of which 14 were HIV-infected and 14 were HIV-negative. The subjects were assessed using a neuropsychological test battery to evaluate the following 8 most commonly affected cognitive domains in people with HIV: attention and working memory, speed of information processing, memory and learning capacity, abstract thinking and executive functions, speech and language skills, and psychomotor skills. The results showed a worse performance in all the cognitive areas among HIV patients as compared to HIV-negative patients. The worse performance of this group could be a result of the viral infection. Regardless of the cognitive impairment a etiology, the key task here is to diagnose neuropsychological deficits as soon as possible in order to improve the quality of life of HIV patients through neuropsychological intervention.

Keywords : Cognitive impairment; Neuropsychological assessment; Human immunodeficiency virus.

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