New Publication from DC CFAR Investigator, Xiong Jiang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience, Georgetown University


April 17, 2019

dr. jiang
DC CFAR investigator and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Georgetown University, Xiong Xiang, PhD, along with his colleagues, has recently published an article in Human Brain Mapping entitled, "Different roles of frontal versus striatal atrophy in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders". 
 
The article discusses a meta-analysis that examined studies on gray matter (GM) atrophy in persons living with HIV (PLWH). GM is frequently detected in PLWH and has been associated with neurocognitive impairment, however, it is not known which specific regions of the brain are affected. By exploring this question, the authors hope to establish the possible neural profiles of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), which are currently only determined through neurobehavioral assessments. They found that GM atrophy in PLWH was characterized by two different, but nonexclusive profiles: "frontal atrophy, which was associated with HIV-disease and consistently differentiated HIV+ adults from HIV− controls, and caudate/striatum atrophy, which was associated with neurocognitive impairment". Using this information, the authors proposed a novel neural model of HAND severity.
 
Click here to read the full article.