DETECTION OF SUBCLINICAL MOTOR DYSFUNCTIONS IN EARLY SYMPTOMATIC HIV-INFECTION WITH TOPOGRAPHICAL EEG

Motor dysfunctions are amongst the earliest and most common signs of b rain impairment caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection . Topographical EEG was rc:corded in patients both with asymptomatic a nd early symptomatic infection (without acquired immunodeficiency synd rome (AIDS) defining illness), as well as in seronegative controls und er resting and motor activation conditions. While patients' motor perf ormance did not differ from control values, the EEG showed a consisten t increase in rhythmic activity in Theta, Alpha and Beta frequency ban ds in Symptomatics. This amplitude increase was evident in different t opographical regions during resting states as compared with motor acti vation, findings which suggest concurrent involvement of several motor areas possibly due to a functional impairment in subcortical integrat ory mechanisms. Comparing motor task and baseline both patient groups showed less consistent patterns of task-related EEG amplitude reductio n than found in the control group. Here topographical EEG in connectio n with motor activation procedures was found to be more sensitive than behavioral measures of motor performance and offers a technique to as sess treatment effects before the development of motor abnormalities i n patients with HIV infection.