Neuropsychological functioning and cognitive reserve in newly HIV diagnosed antiretroviral-naïve South African adults from peri-urban and informal settlements

Despite lower incidences of HIV-associated dementia due to antiretroviral therapy, neuropsychological impairment (NPI) remains a persistent challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. Improving cognitive reserve (CR) can mitigate NPI, but there are few investigations on neuropsychological (NP) performance, and its association with CR in newly diagnosed ART-naïve HIV-positive individuals to inform early treatment strategies. A comprehensive battery of tests were administered to assess various NP domains (International HIV Dementia Scale [for memory, motor speed, psychomotor speed], Digit Span Test [for attention], Action Fluency Test [for language] and Clock Drawing Test [for executive/visuospatial function]), and CR (using Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire) among 211 newly diagnosed ART-naïve HIV-positive participants from two clinics that serve peri-urban and informal settlement communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Regression models were fitted to assess the association between NP performance and CR controlling for socioeconomic and clinical factors. Test results revealed high levels of impairment across NP domains: language (96.7%), memory and psychomotor speed (82.5%), concentration (17.5%), executive function (15.2%) and visuo-spatial function (3.3%). Low CR and educational attainment were the only factors consistently associated with poor NP performance based on regression. High levels of impairment were found in certain NP domains in a relatively young group of newly diagnosed ART-naïve HIV-positive individuals. Residents of peri-urban and informal settlements face multitude of complex challenges in South Africa. An early multilevel intervention targeting clinical- (e.g. CR) and structural-level challenges (e.g. access to education) is needed for mitigating HIV-associated NPI and promoting long-term healthy living.