AIDS. December 2, 2021. doi: 10.1097 / QAD.00000000000003138. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Smoking is linked to cognitive deficits and greater white matter (WM) abnormalities in people with HIV infection (PWH). It is not known whether smoking further contributes to brain atrophy in PWH and was assessed in this study.

DESIGN: We used a 2 × 2 model that included 83 PWH participants (43 nonsmokers, 40 smokers) and 171 HIV-negative participants (SN, 106 nonsmokers, 65 smokers) and assessed their brain structure and function. cognitive.

METHODS: Selected subcortical volumes, cortical volumes and thicknesses by voxel and total WM volume were analyzed using FreeSurfer. The independent and interactive effects of HIV and smoking were assessed with bidirectional analysis of covariance on cognitive domain Z scores and morphometric measurements on T1-weighted MRI.

RESULTS: Regardless of smoking status, compared to SN, PWH had smaller brain volumes [basal ganglia, thalami, hippocampi, subcortical gray matter (GM) and cerebral WM volumes (p = 0.002-0.042)], larger age-related declines in upper right wall volumes (p-interaction

CONCLUSIONS: Smoking has also contributed to brain atrophy and cognitive deficits in PWH. The greater brain atrophy in PWH smokers may be due to greater neuronal damage or loss of myelin in various regions of the brain, resulting in poor cognitive performance. Therefore, smoking can exacerbate or increase the risk of neurocognitive disorders associated with HIV.

PMID:34860196 | DO I:10.1097 / QAD.0000000000003138