INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 09 Program Schedule 02/16/2024 03:30 pm - 04:45 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 09: Epilepsy \| Oncology \| MS \| Infectious Disease Final Abstract #37 Thalamic Correlates of Cognitive and Motor Functions in HIV infection, Alcohol Use Disorder, and Their Comorbidity Rosemary Fama, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States Stephanie Sassoon, SRI International, Menlo Park, United States Eva Müller-Oehring, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States Manojkumar Saranathan, U Mass Medical, Worcester, United States Kilian Pohl, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States Natalie Zahr, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States Adolf Pfefferbaum, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States Edith Sullivan, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States Category: Infectious Disease (HIV/COVID/Hepatitis/Viruses) Keyword 1: thalamus Keyword 2: alcohol Keyword 3: cognitive functioning Objective: The thalamus, with its cortical and subcortical connections, is a critical node in networks supporting cognitive and motor functions. Structural magnetic imaging has revealed volume shrinkage of the whole thalamus, without respect to its nuclear divisions, in HIV infection (HIV), alcohol use disorder (AUD), and their comorbidity (HIV+AUD). Using a recently developed approach for parcellating and quantifying thalamic nuclei, we examined relations between cognitive and motor functions and thalamic nuclei volumes in HIV, AUD, and HIV+AUD. We tested the hypotheses that the HIV+AUD group would demonstrate greater deficits in functional scores and thalamic volumes than either single diagnostic group (HIV, AUD) and that mnemonic processes would be related to anterior thalamic volumes, whereas motor processes would be related to posterior thalamic volumes. Participants and Methods: Participants included 65 individuals with HIV (28-78 years old; 18F, 47M), 191 with AUD (21-76 years old; 56F, 135M), 81 with HIV+AUD (22-79 years old; 28F, 53M), and 142 healthy control participants (CTRL; 20-86 years old; 69F, 73M). Five functional domains were assessed: Attention/Working Memory, Executive Functioning, Verbal and Visual Learning, Verbal and Visual Memory, and Motor Skills. Measures within each domain were computed as age- and education-corrected Z-scores based on laboratory controls and averaged to yield composite scores. Thalamic nuclei (anterior, ventral, medial, and posterior) volumes were quantified using a modified version of THalamus Optimized Multi-Atlas Segmentation (THOMAS) and were age- and head-size corrected. Results: Nonparametric analyses were used because of non-normally distributed scores. Group differences emerged in all cognitive and motor composites, with an overall compounded, graded effect across diagnostic groups: CTRL>HIV=AUD>HIV+AUD. Group differences were also observed on thalamic nuclei volumes, with no graded effect. All three clinical groups had smaller thalamic nuclei volumes than CTRL but did not differ between each other. Spearman rhos (Bonferroni correction, p<.008) assessed relations between functional scores and thalamic nuclei volumes. In neither HIV group did CD4 cell count or current viral load relate to any functional composite or thalamic volume. Age and lifetime alcohol consumption were related to all functional composite scores in the AUD group. Multiple regressions in AUD indicated that lifetime alcohol and age were each independent predictors of Attention/Working Memory and Motor Skill scores, whereas only lifetime alcohol was an independent predictor of Executive Function, Verbal and Visual Learning, and Verbal and Visual Memory scores. In HIV+AUD, Visual and Verbal Learning scores correlated with anterior thalamic volumes, Attention/Working Memory scores correlated with medial and posterior thalamic volumes, and Motor Skill scores correlated with posterior thalamic volumes. Thalamic-neuropsychological test score relations were not significant in the HIV or AUD groups. Conclusions: These results provide evidence for selective relations between thalamic regions and component processes of attention/working memory, verbal and visual memory, and motor skills that were dependent on the compounded effects of HIV and AUD. We speculate that diagnostic comorbidity unmasked a pattern of brain-performance effects not detectable in the single diagnoses, which served as latent liabilities when combined. Funding: AA005965, AA010723, AA017347, MH113406, AG081144, EB032674

Poster

02/16/2024
03:30 pm - 04:45 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 09: Epilepsy | Oncology | MS | Infectious Disease

Final Abstract #37

Thalamic Correlates of Cognitive and Motor Functions in HIV infection, Alcohol Use Disorder, and Their Comorbidity

Rosemary Fama, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
Stephanie Sassoon, SRI International, Menlo Park, United States
Eva Müller-Oehring, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
Manojkumar Saranathan, U Mass Medical, Worcester, United States
Kilian Pohl, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
Natalie Zahr, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
Adolf Pfefferbaum, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
Edith Sullivan, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States

Category: Infectious Disease (HIV/COVID/Hepatitis/Viruses)

Keyword 1: thalamus
Keyword 2: alcohol
Keyword 3: cognitive functioning

Objective:

The thalamus, with its cortical and subcortical connections, is a critical node in networks supporting cognitive and motor functions. Structural magnetic imaging has revealed volume shrinkage of the whole thalamus, without respect to its nuclear divisions, in HIV infection (HIV), alcohol use disorder (AUD), and their comorbidity (HIV+AUD). Using a recently developed approach for parcellating and quantifying thalamic nuclei, we examined relations between cognitive and motor functions and thalamic nuclei volumes in HIV, AUD, and HIV+AUD. We tested the hypotheses that the HIV+AUD group would demonstrate greater deficits in functional scores and thalamic volumes than either single diagnostic group (HIV, AUD) and that mnemonic processes would be related to anterior thalamic volumes, whereas motor processes would be related to posterior thalamic volumes.

Participants and Methods:

Participants included 65 individuals with HIV (28-78 years old; 18F, 47M), 191 with AUD (21-76 years old; 56F, 135M), 81 with HIV+AUD (22-79 years old; 28F, 53M), and 142 healthy control participants (CTRL; 20-86 years old; 69F, 73M). Five functional domains were assessed: Attention/Working Memory, Executive Functioning, Verbal and Visual Learning, Verbal and Visual Memory, and Motor Skills. Measures within each domain were computed as age- and education-corrected Z-scores based on laboratory controls and averaged to yield composite scores. Thalamic nuclei (anterior, ventral, medial, and posterior) volumes were quantified using a modified version of THalamus Optimized Multi-Atlas Segmentation (THOMAS) and were age- and head-size corrected.

Results:

Nonparametric analyses were used because of non-normally distributed scores. Group differences emerged in all cognitive and motor composites, with an overall compounded, graded effect across diagnostic groups: CTRL>HIV=AUD>HIV+AUD. Group differences were also observed on thalamic nuclei volumes, with no graded effect. All three clinical groups had smaller thalamic nuclei volumes than CTRL but did not differ between each other. Spearman rhos (Bonferroni correction, p<.008) assessed relations between functional scores and thalamic nuclei volumes. In neither HIV group did CD4 cell count or current viral load relate to any functional composite or thalamic volume. Age and lifetime alcohol consumption were related to all functional composite scores in the AUD group. Multiple regressions in AUD indicated that lifetime alcohol and age were each independent predictors of Attention/Working Memory and Motor Skill scores, whereas only lifetime alcohol was an independent predictor of Executive Function, Verbal and Visual Learning, and Verbal and Visual Memory scores. In HIV+AUD, Visual and Verbal Learning scores correlated with anterior thalamic volumes, Attention/Working Memory scores correlated with medial and posterior thalamic volumes, and Motor Skill scores correlated with posterior thalamic volumes. Thalamic-neuropsychological test score relations were not significant in the HIV or AUD groups.

Conclusions:

These results provide evidence for selective relations between thalamic regions and component processes of attention/working memory, verbal and visual memory, and motor skills that were dependent on the compounded effects of HIV and AUD. We speculate that diagnostic comorbidity unmasked a pattern of brain-performance effects not detectable in the single diagnoses, which served as latent liabilities when combined.

Funding: AA005965, AA010723, AA017347, MH113406, AG081144, EB032674