ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL MOTOR TESTING, MRI FINDINGS AND CLINICAL COURSE IN AIDS PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA

Thirty-three HIV-positive patients with clinical signs of dementia acc ording to the 1991 AAN criteria underwent psychometric, electrophysiol ogical and radiological examination and were compared with a group of normal healthy subjects and a cohort of clinically asymptomatic HIV-1- positive individuals of comparable education and social environment. C ompared with the other groups, test performance was severely impaired in the demented patients. Results of motor testing and MRI revealed th at subcortical structures were not exclusively affected, but most seve rely and early, thus characterizing the clinical feature in HIV-1-asso ciated dementia. In demented patients a rapid deterioration was observ ed, leading to death within about 12 months on average, which is a mar kedly shorter survival time than described in the literature for non-d emented HIV-1-positive individuals.