HIV infected children likely to suffer cognitive impairment: study-Research on children under ART treatment in eastern India showed lower neuropsychological test scores, calling for better nutritional, psychological support

• Children infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) have to endure a significant adverse impact on their neurodevelopment and cognitive functioning, a new study has revealed.
• Analyzing resting state functional MRIs, the study, published recently in the online journal NeuroImage Clinical, reveals that HIV-infected children have lower neuropsychological test scores thus reflecting reduced memory span, attention deficit and decreased visual-motor coordination among other conditions.
• The study concluded that all HIV infected children had lower neuropsychological test scores as compared to the control group.

         Altered brain regions

• The HIV infected children in the study were also found to have significantly decreased Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) and Functional connectivity (FC) in multiple brain regions that are related to cognition.

         Larger studies

• HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system and is known to affect almost every organ in the human body.
• Nearly 60,000 children in India are currently taking Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) for HIV.
• Doctors treating these children commonly observe slackened physical as well as mental growth.
• Doctors say such studies highlight the need for a holistic approach to HIV programmes. The emphasis should not only be on medication, but also nutritional, psychological and neurodevelopmental support.

The Hindu