THE EDINBURGH COHORT OF HIV-POSITIVE DRUG-USERS - THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUDITORY P3 LATENCY, COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND SELF-RATED MOOD

One hundred and six HIV-positive drug users were tested with a two-ton e auditory evoked potential (AEP) task and a small battery of neuropsy chological tests, to examine the relationship between the latency of t he P300 component (P3) of the AEP, intellectual function, mood and dru g use. Principal components analysis revealed a significant correlatio n between P3 latency and the first principal component (r = -0.43, P < 0.001). Varimax rotation generated three orthogonal components which we interpreted as intellectual performance, memory, and mood. Intellec tual performance and self-reported mood were individually correlated w ith P3 latency, but memory was not (r = -0.36, P < 0.001; r = 0-23, P < 0.05; and r = -0.18, NS, respectively). Subjects with symptomatic HI V disease had a higher correlation between P3 latency and intellectual performance than subjects with asymptomatic HIV disease and, among pa tients with symptomatic HIV disease, poorer memory was associated with a lower CD4 count. Opiate or benzodiazepine consumption did not corre late with poor intellectual performance, memory, or self-rated mood in our sample. These results indicate that there is a relationship betwe en AEP latency and neuropsychological measures of intellectual functio n, and that it is influenced by subjective mood. Surprisingly, declare d current drug use has no discriminable effect on these relationships.