Cognitive changes as early signs of HIV infection.

Neuropsychological examination was performed on 13 patients and 10 matched controls to assess the brain involvement of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. HIV-infected patients showed a significant decline in visuomotor, visuoconstructive and practical abilities as well as in motor-free visuospatial performance and repeating a long sentence. These findings could not be explained by the concomitant mental depression of these patients. Neither were they associated with any particular stage of HIV infection. The results suggest that mild cognitive changes may be detected even in the early stages of HIV infection, when examined by appropriate neuropsychological methods.