NeuroHIV

About our research

The study will pay particular attention to high cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease, as both are common in older people with HIV (as a result of advancing age, HIV disease itself and antiretroviral treatment) and are risk factors for developing dementia.

The study will use a number of tests to look for evidence of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, and to rule out causes of cognitive decline other than HIV (such as cardiovascular disease or a genetic propensity towards developing the disease).

These tests include:

• neuropsychological tests to investigate the clinical patterns of cognitive decline;
• MRI to look for patterns of brain atrophy
• diffusion tensor imaging to look for changes in white matter
• PIB-PET to look for beta amyloid protein in the brain (indicative of Alzheimer’s disease)
• genetic tests to look for genes known to influence the development of Alzheimer’s disease, such as Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and Tumor Necrosis factor (TNF)
• a number of other tests to look for biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease, HIV disease and cardiovascular disease.

We are currently recruiting HIV- men over 45 years to participate in the study. Please contact Dr Lucette Cysique via email: lcysique@unsw.edu.au or on 0431 576 710 for more information.