Structural brain changes in HIV – a voxel-based morphometry study

Introduction: Impairment in cognitive function is a frequent finding in HIV patients ranging from minor cognitive/motor disorders to HIV associated dementia. Especially atrophy of the cerebral cortex and the caudate nucleus have been linked to cognitive dysfunction in patients with HIV. Objective: This study was designed to detect structural gray matter changes in HIV positive patients with and without cognitive dysfunction by means of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: 31 HIV-positive patients were included in the study and cognitive and motor deficits were determined…