Objective: To determine whether proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) demonstrates central nervous system abnormalities in asymptomatic HIV-1-infected individuals.
Design: Both prospective and retrospective cross-sectional analyses of MRS in asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals.
Setting: Two specialists HIV/AIDS outpatient facilities in London.
Participants: Eighty-four HIV-1 seropositive asymptomatic men; 29 HIV-1 antibody-negative homosexual men at high-risk for HIV infection and 48 HIV-1 antibody-negative men at low-risk for HIV infection as controls.
Main outcome measures: Single voxel, gradient-localized proton MRS performed at 1.5 T with 135 msec echo-time and 1,600 msec repeat-time in an 8 ml volume of interest positioned in the parieto-occipital white matter. Spectroscopic results were expressed as ratios between the areas under the N-acetyl (NA), creatine (Cr) and choline (Cho) resonance peaks.
Results: There were no differences between those controls at high and those at low-risk for HIV infection. Comparing the combined control groups with the asymptomatic seropositive patients there were statistically significant differences in NA/Cho, NA/Cr (both P < 0.05) and NA/(NA + Cho + Cr) (P < 0.01).
Conclusion: Abnormalities in cerebral biochemistry may be demonstrated by proton MRS during asymptomatic HIV-1 infection.