ABNORMALITIES OF VISUAL-SPATIAL ATTENTION IN HIV-INFECTION AND THE HIV-ASSOCIATED DEMENTIA COMPLEX

Covert orienting of visuospatial attention (COVAT) was examined in 88 homosexual or bisexual men: 12 with mild HIV-associated dement in comp lex (ADC), 30 neurologically intact with AIDS (NI-AIDS), 23 asymptomat ic HIV+ (HIV+ASX), and 23 HIV-negative control subjects. In mild ADC, COVAT was normal for spatial but impaired for nonspatial cues; 17% of NI-AIDS and HIV+ASX subjects had similar COVAT impairment patterns and also showed cognitive deficits. HIV+ subjects with normal COVAT showe d normal cognitive performance. Impairment of nonspatial attentional p rocessing in the ADC subjects and subgroups of the neurologically inta ct HIV+ subjects may reflect early subcortical dysfunction caused by H IV infection. COVAT assessment may be sensitive for defection of early subclinical neurological impairment in HIV infection.