Symptomatic HAND warranting neurological review was accurately predicted using a CogState-based screening procedure.

Objective To compare the performance of four reliable change (RC) methods with respect to measuring cognitive change on the Cogstate Computerized Battery (CCB). Method We assessed cognitive change in 57 healthy, urban, well-educated males on the CCB at baseline and 6 months (Median age = 50, 65% university-educated). The study CCB version comprised seven measures covering attention, processing speed, verbal learning, and memory. Raw scores were z-score transformed using age-corrected Cogstate norms (CN) or the sample mean and standard deviation (internal standardization [IS]), and then averaged to create composite z-scores. Composite scores were entered into four RC formulae. RC was defined based on a 90% two-tailed confidence interval. Change scores were compared as continuous (z-scores) and ordinal variables (RC outcomes). Results CCB composite score reliability (rXY = .78–.79) was replicated in an age- and sex-matched Cogstate database sample of similar size. There was good overall agreement between the four RC methods (Bland–Altman Mdiff = .00; 95% limits of agreement with the mean—CN: z = ± .90; IS: z = ± .93), with each model adhering closely to the 10% rate of RC expected by chance alone (largest χ2 = .86, p = .99). Initial norming strategy (CN or IS) did not affect these outcomes. Conclusions Norming strategy and RC method choice did not significantly impact cognitive change predictions on CCB composite scores. A series of example case data are provided to practically demonstrate the steps involved in applying the longitudinal norms generated in this study. Research in more diverse normative samples is warranted.

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Objectives Evidence of premature cognitive ageing amongst people living with HIV (PLHIV) remains controversial due to previous research limitations including underpowered studies, samples with suboptimal antiretroviral access, varying rate of virological control, high rate of AIDS, over‐representation of non‐community samples, and inclusion of inappropriate controls. The current study addresses these limitations, while also considering mental health and non‐HIV comorbidity burden to determine whether PLHIV showed premature cognitive ageing compared with closely comparable HIV‐negative controls. Methods This study enrolled 254 PLHIV [92% on antiretroviral therapy; 84% with HIV RNA < 50 copies/mL; 15% with AIDS) and 72 HIV‐negative gay and bisexual men [mean (SD) age = 49 (10.2) years] from a single primary care clinic in Sydney, Australia. Neurocognitive function was evaluated with the Cogstate Computerized Battery (CCB) at baseline and 6 months after. Linear mixed‐effects (LME) models examined main and interaction effects of HIV status and chronological age on the CCB demographically uncorrected global neurocognitive z‐score (GZS), adjusting for repeated testing, and then adjusting sequentially for HIV disease markers, mental health and comorbidities. Results HIV status and age interacted with a lower GZS (β = −0.43, P < 0.05). Higher level of anxiety symptoms (β = −0.11, P < 0.01), historical AIDS (β = −0.12, P < 0.05) and historical HIV brain involvement (β = −0.12, P < 0.05) were associated with lower GZS. Conclusions We found a robust medium‐sized premature ageing effect on cognition in a community sample with optimal HIV care. Our study supports routine screening of cognitive and mental health among PLHIV aged ≥ 50 years.