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Abstract #4074

Resting Cerebral Blood Flow as a Biomarker of HIV in the Brain

Jewell Thomas1, Huiling Peng1, Tammie Benzinger2, Avi Snyder1, David Clifford1, Beau Ances1

1Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States; 2Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States


HIV causes hypoperfusion within cortical and subcortical brain structures. We used arterial spin labeling (ASL) to measure resting cerebral blood flow (rCBF) within HIV+ participants (both nave and on stable highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)) and HIV- controls. HIV- controls had a significantly higher rCBF (61.7 1.7 mL/100gm/min) compared to HIV+ participants (48.4 1.9 mL/100gm/min). rCBF was significantly diminished in HIV+ nave patients (44.8 1.9 mL/100gm/min) compared to HIV+ subjects on stable HAART (52.6 2.0 mL/100gm/min). Our results suggest that rCBF may provide a sensitive biomarker for efficacy of HAART in the brain of HIV+ participants.