Facial emotional processing in HIV infection: Relation to neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric status.

Abstract

Clinically stable HIV+ individuals show a mild level of emotional processing reduction that is dissociated from neuropsychiatric complaints. Individuals with HAND showed moderate to large emotional processing abnormalities, particularly for the timely recognition of negative expressions (fear, sadness, and anger). These findings warrant a more comprehensive and dynamic evaluation of emotional processing in HIV infection and an investigation of the integrity of the fronto-basal-amygdala circuits.

White matter measures are near normal in controlled HIV infection except in those with cognitive impairment and longer HIV duration

“…The neuropsychological assessment consisted in a standard neuropsychological test battery covering seven ability domains (Lane et al 2012). To classify overall neurocognitive impairment and determine the presence of HAND, we used a standard definition of impairment based upon a battery-wide summary score, the Global Deficit Score (GDS).…”

Facial emotion recognition impairments are associated with brain volume abnormalities in individuals with HIV

“…HIV+ adults suffer disproportionately higher rates of psychiatric symptoms (T. D. Benton, 2008; Bing et al, 2001; Ciesla & Roberts, 2001; Do et al, 2014; Morrison et al, 2002; Paul et al, 2005; Tate et al, 2003), as well as broader emotion processing impairments, including deficits in facial emotion recognition (Baldonero et al, 2013; Clark et al, 2010; Heilman et al, 2013; Lane et al, 2012). Facial emotion recognition difficulties in HIV+ adults are associated with increased interpersonal problems (Clark et al, 2010), which can exacerbate existing psychiatric symptoms (Fleishman et al, 2000; Richardson et al, 2001).…”

“…These key regions included the amygdala (Adolphs, 2002b; Adolphs, Tranel, Damasio, & Damasio, 1994; Ances et al, 2012; Clark et al, 2012), anterior cingulate cortex (Kallianpur et al, 2012; Kuper et al, 2011; Murphy, Nimmo-Smith, & Lawrence, 2003), orbitofrontal cortex (Adolphs, 2002a; Kallianpur et al, 2012; Tsuchida & Fellows, 2012), caudate (Ances et al, 2006; Becker et al, 2011; Fusar-Poli et al, 2009), and putamen (Becker et al, 2011; Fusar-Poli et al, 2009). Based on prior data indicating that HIV+ patients perform poorly on the recognition of negative emotions (Baldonero et al, 2013; Clark et al, 2010; Lane et al, 2012), and given the strong contribution of the anterior cingulate and amygdala to these functions in particular (Adolphs et al, 1994; Fusar-Poli et al, 2009; Phan, Wager, Taylor, & Liberzon, 2002), we hypothesized that HIV-related volumetric abnormalities in these two regions would correlate with emotion recognition impairments in our HIV+ sample.…”

“…Despite a clear link between facial emotion recognition abilities and quality of life metrics in HIV+ individuals (Clark et al, 2010), except for a handful of studies (Baldonero et al, 2013; Clark et al, 2010; Heilman, Harden, Weber, Cohen, & Porges, 2013; Lane, Moore, Batchelor, Brew, & Cysique, 2012), facial emotion recognition impairments in HIV+ cohorts have received little investigation. Results from these studies have been somewhat varied, with most reports indicating that HIV+ patients demonstrate impairments in recognizing negative emotions (Lane et al, 2012), particularly fear (Baldonero et al, 2013; Clark et al, 2010), and one indicating that facial emotion recognition impairments are non-specific (Heilman et al, 2013).…”

“…Results from these studies have been somewhat varied, with most reports indicating that HIV+ patients demonstrate impairments in recognizing negative emotions (Lane et al, 2012), particularly fear (Baldonero et al, 2013; Clark et al, 2010), and one indicating that facial emotion recognition impairments are non-specific (Heilman et al, 2013). …”