The combined effects of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), obesity and elevated visceral adipose tissue (VAT) on brain structure are unknown. In a cross-sectional analysis of Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) participants, we determined associations between HIV serostatus, adiposity and brain structure. Men (133 HIV+, 84 HIV-) in the MACS Cardiovascular 2 and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sub-studies with CT-quantified VAT and whole brain MRI measured within one year were assessed. Voxel-based morphometry analyzed brain volumes. Men were stratified by elevated (eVAT; ≥100cm2) or “normal” (nVAT; <100cm2) VAT. Forward step-wise modeling determined associations between clinical and demographic variables and regional brain volumes. eVAT was present in 67% of men. Groups were similar in age and education, but eVAT men were more likely to be HIV+ and have hypertension, diabetes mellitus, body mass index >25kg/m2, smaller gray and white matter volumes and larger cerebrospinal fluid volume than nVAT men. In multivariate analysis, hypertension, higher adiponectin, higher interleukin-6, age, diabetes mellitus, higher body mass index and eVAT were associated with brain atrophy (p<0.05, ordered by increasing strength of association), but HIV serostatus and related factors were not. No interactions were observed. Greater VAT was associated with smaller bilateral posterior hippocampus and left mesial temporal lobe and temporal stem white matter volume. Traditional risk factors are more strongly associated with brain atrophy than HIV serostatus, with VAT having the strongest association. However, HIV+ MACS men had disproportionately greater VAT, suggesting the risk for central nervous system effects may be amplified in this population.

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Objective: the article presents the results of a study of the neuropsychological profile of cognitive functions in patients with endogenous depression, in the structure of which overvalued formations are revealed. The study of cognitive processes in patients with such disorders will help determine prognostic criteria and contribute to the development of optimal recommendations for personalized therapy of these conditions.The aim of the study was to determine the characteristics of cognitive functioning and its dynamics in patients with endogenous depression with overvalued formations.Patients and methods: using clinical-psychometric, neuropsychological, pathopsychological methods, 45 patients were examined. 26 men (average age 28.7 ± 7.3) and 19 women (average age 34 ± 8.6) had a manifest or repeated depressive state within the framework of an affective disease (F31-34 according to ICD-10) with the phenomenon of overvalued formations. The control group was represented by a similar in number, comparable in terms of sex and age group of patients (45 patients) with a depressive state that forms within the affective phase (F31-34 according to ICD-10), without overvalued formations.Results: in the course of the work, differences were found in the structure of the neurocognitive deficit of endogenous depression with overvalued formations from that of depressions without the phenomenon of overvalued formations. As a result of neuropsychological screening of patients in the group of endogenous depressions with overvalued formations, data were obtained on dysfunction of the anterior sections of the predominantly left hemisphere and related regulatory deficiency. Conclusions: patients with endogenous depressions occurring with a predominance of overvalued formations in the clinical, a neurocognitive deficiency of the regulatory domain is characteristic, which is different from that in depressions without the phenomenon of overvalued formations.

IntroductionAccording to a selective meta-analytical review, weakness of working memory is considered as one of the fundamental disorders in schizophrenia. Some researchers propose identifying this disorder as an endophenotypic marker of schizophrenia diathesis. Many researchers also emphasize violations of “abstract thinking”, that is, the ability of patients to operate with abstract concepts. Many scientists understand the violation of “abstract thinking” as the difficulty of patient in operating with the dominant signs of the concept. Based on these approaches, we assume a dark relationship between working memory and abstract thinking.ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between working memory and abstract thinking defect in patients with schizophrenic spectrum disorders.Methods16 patients with schizophrenic spectrum disorders were studied. To study abstract thinking, the following neuropsychological and psychometric techniques were used: exclusion of objects, D-KEFS understanding of proverbs (latent concepts were recorded). The following techniques were used to study working memory: n-back; Wechsler Test, subtest Digit Repetition.ResultsAs a result of preliminary research, the following data was obtained. We found significant differences between the number of irrelevant features (which corresponds to impaired abstract thinking) and the severity of impaired working memory (p = 0.035). The more the memory was impaired, the more the subjects demonstrated the impairment of abstract thinking.ConclusionsThus, our results justify our assumption. A relationship between working memory and abstract thinking is founded to be possible. Further studies of this issue requires a wider techniques battery as well as a larger sample.Conflict of interestThe reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 20-013-00772

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