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Abstract Background Despite advances in combination antiretroviral therapy (cARTs), children in Sub-Saharan Africa continue to experience neurocognitive deficits due to the virus crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Based on the principles of neuroplasticity, our study sought to investigate the feasibility of introducing a pencil and paper cognitive rehabilitation tool called Brainwave-R, to ameliorate the effects of HIV neurocognition amongst children from a low socioeconomic background in rural South Africa. Material/Methods Five HIV positive and six HIV negative children were assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group underwent two months of cognitive rehabilitation therapy to remediate sustained attention, using Brainwave-R, whereas the noncontact control group took part in placebo activities. Sustained attention measures were taken before and after the intervention training sessions, using a sustained attention subtest. The control group later received cognitive intervention three months following the conclusion of the research study. Results A Mann Whitney U Test revealed that the experimental group (Mdn=38.50) did not differ significantly from the control group (Mdn=37.00) after the cognitive rehabilitation intervention, U= 12.00, z= -.55, p= 0.66, r= -0.17. A Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test found that there was a significant improvement from pretest scores (Mdn=31.00) to post test scores (Mdn=38.00) following the rehabilitation for HIV positive participants in the sample, T=15.00, z = -2.02, p= 0.04, r= -0.90. Conclusions The findings of our study raise the feasibility of a pencil and paper cognitive rehabilitation method to supplement antiretroviral (ARV) therapy in paediatric HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundSeveral questions remain unanswered regarding the magnitude and time course of cognitive improvement in response to antipsychotic treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in cognitive performance in antipsychotic-naive or minimally medicated patients with first-episode schizophrenia during the first 12 months of treatment, in a case–control design. Patients were treated with flupenthixol decanoate depot injection, according to a standard algorithm. The primary outcome measure was change in MATRICS Cognitive Consensus Battery (MCCB) composite score over 12 months.MethodThe sample comprised 92 patients and 100 healthy controls matched for age, sex, ethnicity and educational status. Cognitive function was assessed by means of the MCCB.ResultsA mixed-effects model identified a significant group × time effect (p ≤ 0.0001) for the MCCB composite score, with patients showing a greater degree of change than the controls. For the other MCCB domains there were significant group × time effects at adjusted significance level for attention and vigilance (p ≤ 0.0001), visual learning (p ≤ 0.0001), verbal learning (p = 0.005) and working memory (p ≤ 0.0001), but not for reasoning and problem solving (p = 0.04), speed of processing (p = 0.03) and social cognition (p = 0.06). There were moderate correlations between change in MCCB composite score and change in symptomatology as assessed by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale factor analysis-derived domains.ConclusionsSubstantial improvements in cognitive function were observed over and above a practice effect, and were significantly correlated with improvements in psychopathology and functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated the behavioral and brain effects of childhood trauma and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, both separately and in combination, and assessed potential interactions in women who were dually affected. Eighty-three HIV-positive and 47 matched HIV-negative South African women underwent neuromedical, neuropsychiatric, and neurocognitive assessments. Univariate tests of significance assessed if either HIV infection or childhood trauma, or the combination, had a significant effect on neurocognitive performance. The majority of women were Black (96%) and had an average age of 30 years. An analysis of covariance revealed significant HIV effects for the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) learning and delay trials (p < 0.01) and the Halstead Category Test (HCT) (p < 0.05). A significant trauma effect was seen on the HVLT delay trial (p < 0.05). The results provide evidence for neurocognitive dysfunction in memory and executive functions in HIV-infected women and memory disturbances in trauma exposed women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We set out to test the hypothesis that greater brain ageing will be observed in people with HIV (PWH) and those who engage in heavy episodic drinking (HED), with their combined effects being especially detrimental in cognitive control brain networks. We correlated measures of "brain age gap" (BAG) and neurocognitive impairment in participants with and without HIV and HED. Sixty-nine participants were recruited from a community health centre in Cape Town: HIV - /HED - (N = 17), HIV + /HED - (N = 14), HIV - /HED + (N = 21), and HIV + /HED + (N = 17). Brain age was modelled using structural MRI features from the whole brain or one of six brain regions. Linear regression models were employed to identify differences in BAG between patient groups and controls. Associations between BAG and clinical data were tested using bivariate statistical methods. Compared to controls, greater global BAG was observed in heavy drinkers, both with (Cohen's d = 1.52) and without (d = 1.61) HIV. Differences in BAG between HED participants and controls were observed for the cingulate and parietal cortex, as well as subcortically. A larger BAG was associated with higher total drinking scores but not nadir CD4 count or current HIV viral load. The association between heavy episodic drinking and BAG, independent of HIV status, points to the importance of screening for alcohol use disorders in primary care. The relatively large contribution of cognitive control brain regions to BAG highlights the utility of assessing the contribution of different brain regions to brain age., (© 2022. Journal of NeuroVirology, Inc.)

Background: Accurate perception of body weight is necessary for individuals with a high body mass index (BMI) to initiate strategies to improve their health status. Furthermore, identifying factors that influence accurate body weight perception can assist in designing appropriate educational and weight management programs. We therefore aimed to investigate whether levels of cognitive functioning and insight influence the ability to correctly judge body weight., Methods: One hundred and eighty four overweight and obese adults who participated in a cross- sectional case-control study and were controls in the aforementioned study were included. The study was conducted in Cape Town, South Africa. Demographic, weight-related, neuropsychiatric, neurocognitive and cognitive insight measures were administered. Regression analysis was conducted to determine the factors associated with correct weight perception., Results: The final regression model explained 52.3% of variation in accurate perception of body weight and was significant (p ≤ 0. 001). The model correctly classified 79.3% of individuals who were able to correctly and incorrectly judge their weight. Adults with higher BMI, and lower self-certainty, those who reported that they had gained weight in the previous year and those who were told by a healthcare professional to lose or maintain a healthy weight were more likely to correctly judge their weight., Conclusion: Some aspects of cognitive insight (self-certainty) but not cognitive functioning were associated with perception of body weight in this sample. Awareness of recent weight changes, higher BMI and advice from of health care professionals were also significantly associated with perception of body weight, while demographic variables were not. Understanding the factors that contribute to the correct perception of weight is important in identifying appropriate health interventions that may address the burden of associated non-communicable diseases in overweight and obese individuals.

Objectives: Methamphetamine abuse affects brain structure and function. Although methamphetamine and cannabis are commonly abused together, few studies have investigated the differential neurocognitive consequences of methamphetamine abuse with or without cannabis. Furthermore, the effects of drug use on the developing adolescent brain remain poorly understood. We compared neurocognitive function between adolescents with 'pure' methamphetamine abuse, those with comorbid methamphetamine and cannabis abuse, and healthy controls at baseline and follow-up., Methods: Individuals residing in the greater Cape Town region, between the ages of 13 and 18 years, were recruited into either Methamphetamine only group (Meth-only; n=10), Methamphetamine and cannabis group (Meth-cann; n=10) or healthy control (n=20) groups using a quasi-experimental design. All participants underwent a comprehensive neurocognitive assessment. Substance-use variables and psychiatric symptom counts were also recorded. A portion of the Meth-only and control participants completed 12-month follow-up assessments., Results: While the Meth-cann group demonstrated widespread neurocognitive deficits at baseline, these deficits were restricted to the self-monitoring domain in the Meth-only group at baseline and at follow-up., Conclusions: Methamphetamine abuse with cannabis abuse is associated with significantly more neurocognitive impairment than methamphetamine abuse alone, and such deficits may be enduring., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.)