Objective: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) have historically been characterized as a subcortical condition that does not affect semantic memory; however, recent evidence suggests that the cortical regions that support semantic memory may be affected in HIV.
Method: The current study examined the effects of HAND on semantic memory in 85 HIV+ individuals with HAND, 193 HIV+ individuals without HAND, and 181 HIV- individuals who completed the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and the Famous Faces subtest of the Kauffman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test (KAIT-FF).
Results: Linear regressions revealed a significant adverse effect of HAND on total scores on the BNT and the KAIT-FF (all ps < .01). Analyses of BNT errors showed that individuals with HAND committed more semantically related errors as compared to the other two study groups (all ps < .05). However, there were no group differences in rates of visually based errors, which are more commonly observed in traditional subcortical diseases (all ps > .10).
Conclusions: Results indicate that HAND may impose adverse effects on individuals' object naming and identification abilities suggestive of mild semantic deficits that parallel traditional cortical diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.