Working memory performance in HIV-seropositive substance abusers (Immune deficiency)

The additive effects of HIV infection and substance abuse may increase the ease the likelihood of neuropsychological deficit. That is, HIV seropositive patients with histories of likelihood of neuropsychological deficit. That is, HIV seropositive patients with histories of substance abuse may be at greater risk for the development of HIV-related cognitive deficits, or they may develop more severe levels of deficit. The present study examined the effects of HIV infection and substance abuse on working memory. Given the role working memory plays in a variety of cognitive domains and its relationship to frontal-subcortical circuits, it was presumed that HIV infection would have a deleterious impact on working memory performance. The results of this investigation support a number of studies that have found no evidence of cognitive impairment in the early stages of HIV infection. Specifically, HIV status was not found to significantly affect working memory. In terms of substance abuse, individuals with a history of drug and concurrent alcohol abuse were found to be impaired on a spatial working memory, but not verbal working memory tasks. Individuals with longer periods of abstinence from alcohol showed better working memory performance than individuals who had been abstinent for a shorter period of time. This suggests that HIV seropositive substance abusers, who refrain from alcohol use, may be less susceptible to cognitive impairment. The finding that working memory improves with abstinence from alcohol suggests recovery of function in frontal-subcortical brain structures. Finally, lower levels of depression were found in HIV seropositive participants relative to seronegative individuals, regardless of substance abuse history. HIV seropositive men and women demonstrated comparable levels of depressive symptomatology. The author suggests that HIV support services may serve as a buffer against factors that put individuals at risk for depression.