M Acebo García-Guerrero1, Pedro Sánchez Gómez2, Javier Peña Lasa3, Joseba Portu Zapirain4, Edorta Elizagárate Zabala5, Victoria Gorria Bernal3, Natalia Ojeda Del Pozo3. 1. Departamento de Métodos y Psicología Experimental, Facultad de Psicología y Educación, Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao, España. Electronic address: a.garcia@deusto.es. 2. Unidad de Psicosis Refractaria, Hospital Psiquiátrico de Álava, Vitoria, España; Departamento de Neurociencia, Sección de Psiquiatría, Escuela de Medicina y Odontología, Universidad del País Vasco, Vizcaya, España. 3. Departamento de Métodos y Psicología Experimental, Facultad de Psicología y Educación, Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao, España. 4. Servicio de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario de Álava-Hospital Txagorritxu, Vitoria, España. 5. Unidad de Psicosis Refractaria, Hospital Psiquiátrico de Álava, Vitoria, España; Departamento de Neurociencia, Sección de Psiquiatría, Escuela de Medicina y Odontología, Universidad del País Vasco, Vizcaya, España; CIBERSAM, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Madrid, España.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Reduced performance in several cognitive domains has been repeatedly related to hepatitis C virus (HCV). Nevertheless, there is no consensus about the severity or cognitive profile. Moreover, other possible influential variables are scarcely controlled. The aim of this study is to define the specific cognitive profile in HCV after controlling for confounding variables. METHODS: Forty-two HCV patients were distributed in 2groups according to the presence of co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus; a third group with 22 healthy controls was also included. The neuropsychological assessment included tests that assess processing speed, executive functioning, verbal memory, visual memory and working memory. Measures of depression (BDI), anxiety (HAM-A), fatigue (MAF), anhedonia (PAS), insomnia (ISI), quality of life (SF-36) and history of drug abuse (DAST-20) were taken in order to explore differences among groups and to control for their possible influence on cognitive performance. RESULTS: HCV patients (including human immunodeficiency virus-coinfection) performed significantly worse in all cognitive measures. However, when the effect of BDI, HAM-A, MAF, ISI, SF-36 & DAST-20 was controlled, only verbal memory of HCV patients differed among groups. Coinfected patients performed worse in verbal memory. CONCLUSIONS: According to previous studies verbal memory is the unique cognitive domain related to the effect of HCV. The present study does not support that the neurovirulence effect of HCV is decreasing cognitive performance in HCV patients. Nevertheless, the present study cannot relate the fronto-striatal disruption with the cognitive performance in HCV patients.
OBJECTIVE: Reduced performance in several cognitive domains has been repeatedly related to hepatitis C virus (HCV). Nevertheless, there is no consensus about the severity or cognitive profile. Moreover, other possible influential variables are scarcely controlled. The aim of this study is to define the specific cognitive profile in HCV after controlling for confounding variables. METHODS: Forty-two HCVpatients were distributed in 2groups according to the presence of co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus; a third group with 22 healthy controls was also included. The neuropsychological assessment included tests that assess processing speed, executive functioning, verbal memory, visual memory and working memory. Measures of depression (BDI), anxiety (HAM-A), fatigue (MAF), anhedonia (PAS), insomnia (ISI), quality of life (SF-36) and history of drug abuse (DAST-20) were taken in order to explore differences among groups and to control for their possible influence on cognitive performance. RESULTS:HCVpatients (including human immunodeficiency virus-coinfection) performed significantly worse in all cognitive measures. However, when the effect of BDI, HAM-A, MAF, ISI, SF-36 & DAST-20 was controlled, only verbal memory of HCVpatients differed among groups. Coinfectedpatients performed worse in verbal memory. CONCLUSIONS: According to previous studies verbal memory is the unique cognitive domain related to the effect of HCV. The present study does not support that the neurovirulence effect of HCV is decreasing cognitive performance in HCVpatients. Nevertheless, the present study cannot relate the fronto-striatal disruption with the cognitive performance in HCVpatients.