Neurometabolic Remodeling in Chronic Hiv Infection: a Five-Year Follow-up Multi-Voxel Mrs Study

Sci Rep. 2019 Dec 24;9(1):19799. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-56330-0.

Abstract

There is a lack of data about the long-term follow-up changes in neurometabolic profile and neuropsychological performance of HIV-positive subjects under continuous antiretroviral therapy (cART). The aim of the study was to assess changes in neurometabolic profile in chronically-infected, HIV-positive subjects during a five-year follow-up period, using multi-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Nineteen neurologically asymptomatic, aviremic, HIV-positive subjects, underwent multi-voxel 2D MRS on a 3 T MR unit and synchronous neurocognitive assessment in a five-year follow-up period. Twelve voxels were placed in prefrontal cortices, anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus, intraparietal sulci, and frontal centrum semiovale white matter, to identify peaks of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), choline (Cho), and myoinositol (mI). Ratios of NAA/Cr, NAA/Cho, NAA/mI, mI/Cr, and Cho/Cr were analyzed. Longitudinal differences in ratios and neurocognitive scores were tested with the Wilcoxon signed-rank-test. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.004 significant, and 0.05 > p > 0.004 trending toward significance. A significant longitudinal increase in NAA/Cr ratio was observed in 5/12 voxels, while there was a trend toward significance in an additional three. The increase in Cho/Cr reached statistical significance in one voxel. Changes in the mI/Cr ratio demonstrated a significant increase in 4/12 voxels. A progressive increase in NAA/Cr, followed by better neurocognitive performance, may be an indicator of brain plasticity in the setting of chronic HIV-related neuronal injury. A progressive mI/Cr increase could be partly explained by glial proliferation due to functional compartment remodeling and partly attributable to insufficient control of persistent neuroinflammation by cART.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Algorithms
  • Anti-HIV Agents / therapeutic use
  • Aspartic Acid / analogs & derivatives
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging*
  • Brain Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Cell Communication
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Choline
  • Creatine
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • HIV Infections / diagnostic imaging*
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy*
  • HIV Infections / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Inflammation
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Male
  • Microglia / metabolism
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Statistical
  • Neuroglia / metabolism
  • Neuroimaging
  • Neuronal Plasticity
  • Neurons / metabolism

Substances

  • Anti-HIV Agents
  • Aspartic Acid
  • N-acetylaspartate
  • Creatine
  • Choline