MEASUREMENT OF DEPRESSION AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENT IN HIV-1 INFECTION

Depression and neuropsychological (NP) impairment were examined in 30 HIV-1 seropositive symptomatic, 15 seropositive asymptomatic, and 14 s eronegative control participants. Items on the Beck Depression Invento ry (BDI) were separated into somatic and affective components to exami ne effects of illness on depression. Twenty-two NP tests tapped motor and psychomotor function, cognitive flexibility, and memory. The sympt omatic seropositive group had the highest mean depression scores. Howe ver, these group differences were seen with the somatic component, not the affective. No significant correlations were obtained between NP t ests and the affective component. Although 3 of 11 psychomotor measure s were modestly correlated with the BDI total and somatic component, d epression was generally unrelated to NP performance.