Alcohol abuse and HIV infection have additive effects on frontal cortex function as measured by auditory evoked potential P3A latency [see comments]

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Alcohol abuse and HIV infection have additive effects on frontal cortex function as measured by auditory evoked potential P3A latency [see comments]

Biol Psychiatry. 1995 Feb 1;37(3):183-95. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/95244709
Fein G; Biggins CA; MacKay S; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San; Francisco, USA.

Abstract: Both alcohol and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been shown to produce central nervous system (CNS) morbidity in frontal brain regions. The degree to which the CNS morbidity in HIV infection, as it affects frontal cortex function, may be preferentially increased by alcohol abuse was examined using the auditory P3A evoked potential. The P3A indexes an orienting response, maximal over frontal cortex that occurs when novel nontarget stimuli are presented in the midst of a target detection paradigm. Four groups of subjects were compared: HIV+ alcohol abusers, HIV+ light/nondrinkers, HIV- alcohol abusers, and HIV- light/nondrinkers. The alcohol abuser and light/nondrinker HIV+ groups were matched on percent CD4 lymphocytes, insuring that the results reflected specific CNS effects and were not a result of differences between the groups in the degree of systemic immune suppression. Alcohol abuse and HIV infection had at least additive effects on P3A latency, consistent with alcohol abuse worsening the effect of HIV disease on frontal cortex function. Post-hoc analyses suggested that concomitant alcohol abuse results in the effects of HIV infection on P3A latency becoming manifest earlier in the HIV disease process.

Keywords: AIDS Dementia Complex/COMPLICATIONS/*PHYSIOPATHOLOGY Acoustic Stimulation Adult Alcohol Drinking/ADVERSE EFFECTS Alcoholism/COMPLICATIONS/*PHYSIOPATHOLOGY Arousal/PHYSIOLOGY Bisexuality Brain Mapping/INSTRUMENTATION Dominance, Cerebral/PHYSIOLOGY Electroencephalography/INSTRUMENTATION Evoked Potentials, Auditory/*PHYSIOLOGY Frontal Lobe/*PHYSIOPATHOLOGY HIV Infections/COMPLICATIONS/*PHYSIOPATHOLOGY Homosexuality, Male Human Male Reaction Time/*PHYSIOLOGY Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted/INSTRUMENTATION Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. JOURNAL ARTICLE
Comment in: Biol Psychiatry 1995 Sep 1;38(5):343-4
950830
M9580963

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