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Abstract #1707

A Longitudinal Study of DTI in a Nonhuman Primate Model of Neuro-AIDS

Chun-xia Li1, Xiaodong Zhang1, Yingxia Li1, Amelia Komery2, Francis J. Novembre3, James G. Herndon2

1Yerkes Imaging Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA,30329, United States; 2Divisions of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA,30322; 3Divisions of Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA,30322


DTI has been proposed as a quantitative marker of the neurological status of HIV+ patients. In this study, DTI imaging was used to longitudinally detect white matter abnormalities in whole brain and specific regions of Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected monkeys, a reduction in FA and an increase in MD were observed evidently after viral inoculation and whole-brain FA changes correlated significantly with CD4 depletion. Findings from this investigation support the use of DTI for measurement of HIV associated neuropathologic changes. Further longitudinal study is needed to investigate the validation of DTI measures as a marker for disease progression.