Objective: To determine the nature and extent of cognitive deficits in
early stage (asymptomatic) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positiv
e homosexual and bisexual men. Design: A cross-sectional design was us
ed to compare 27 HIV-positive, asymptomatic (Centers for Disease Contr
ol and Prevention stages 2 and 3) homosexual and bisexual men, who wer
e designated as the seropositive group, with 29 seronegative homosexua
l and bisexual men, who were designated as the control group. Methods:
The participant groups were closely matched on a number of demographi
c and lifestyle variables. Participants were carefully and repeatedly
screened for substance abuse, a history of psychiatric problems, use o
f psychoactive medications, and neurological problems. All participant
s completed an extensive neuropsychological battery and a computerized
information processing battery to identify cognitive deficits. Result
s: No significant between-group differences were found on either the n
europsychological assessments or the information processing tests. Add
itionally, we found no evidence of a subgroup of seropositive, asympto
matic individuals with general cognitive slowing. Conclusions: Educate
d, HIV-positive asymptomatic individuals may show little difference in
cognitive performance compared with a group of matched controls when
the groups are carefully screened and matched. Additionally, computeri
zed tests may be no more sensitive than neuropsychological tests to co
gnitive decrements for these types of participants.