Longer ongoing task delay intervals exacerbate prospective memory deficits in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND).

The delay interval between encoding a future intention and detection of the retrieval cue is an essential feature of prospective memory (PM). McDaniel and Einstein's ( 2000 ) multiprocess theory posits that greater demands are placed on strategic monitoring processes as the delay interval lengthens. This hypothesis was examined in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), which are associated with strategic dyscontrol of PM, likely secondary to prefrontostriatal circuit pathology. Seventy-eight seronegative adults and 49 individuals with HAND comprised the study groups, which were comparable with regard to demographic, psychiatric, and substance use factors. As part of a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, participants were administered a well-validated PM measure that included short (2-min) and long (15-min) task delay interval scales that utilized a standardized word search as the ongoing task. Results revealed a significant interaction of group and delay interval, with significant effects of HAND on PM at long, but not short, delay. The long-delay PM effect in HAND was driven primarily by deficits in time-based PM and was most strongly associated with markers of executive dysfunction. In concordance with the multiprocess theory, individuals with HAND were disproportionately vulnerable to PM deficits at longer ongoing task delay intervals, which appear to be driven by strategic dyscontrol of PM that is consistent with the preferential disruption of prefrontal systems in neuroAIDS (neurological complications of AIDS). Difficulty with successfully completing PM tasks following a longer delay could manifest in real-world problems, such as medication nonadherence and unemployment, and characterizing this specific deficit may inform remediation strategies.