# Multimodal Imaging of NeuroHIV Dynamics (MIND): An Omaha-Pittsburgh Consortium

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $381,250

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The primary goals of the parent project, Multimodal Imaging of NeuroHIV Dynamics (MIND), are to advance
understanding of the etiology of mild to moderate forms of HIV-related cognitive dysfunction by clarifying the
role played by altered neuronal circuits, dynamics, and networks using novel neurophysiological and neuro-
imaging techniques. The project implements a large-scale multimodal neuroimaging approach that couples the
latest breakthroughs in advanced instrumentation and data analyses to identify the pathophysiology of neuroHIV
in virally-suppressed adults. Specifically, the approach includes magnetoencephalographic (MEG) imaging to
quantify the region- and circuit-level neural dynamics serving cognitive processing, 3-Tesla MRI and multi-
modal parcellation methods to map areal brain architecture, functional MRI (fMRI) for hemodynamics and
intrinsic networks, and 7-Tesla magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) to quantify GABA levels in
multi-voxel slabs of interest identified by the functional modalities. The investigative team includes a unique
combination of experts in MEG, MRI/fMRI, MRSI, and cognitive psychology from the University of Nebraska
and University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers, and follows the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework to
define cognitive constructs. The project’s overarching hypothesis is that HIV-infected adults will exhibit
aberrations in local inhibitory circuits, and that these deficits will alter gamma oscillations and thereby impair
neuronal coding and interregional functional connectivity in the theta range. With this administrative supplement,
we will extend the MIND project to biomarker-positive patients on the Alzheimer’s spectrum (i.e., patients with
mild cognitive impairment or mild/moderate Alzheimer’s disease) and add beta-amyloid PET imaging to the
overall protocol. With these data, we will determine whether cognitive domain-specific alterations in the neural
dynamics differ between patients with HIV-related cognitive impairments and amyloid-positive Alzheimer’s
spectrum impairments. Specifically, we will examine the oscillatory dynamics within neural populations serving
attention and visual perception (Aim 1), cognitive control (Aim 2), and working memory processing (Aim 3),
with the hypothesis that altered neural oscillations will predict impaired behavioral performance and differ
between Alzheimer’s spectrum and impaired HIV-infected patients. Finally, we will identify the role of local
GABA dysfunction in Alzheimer’s spectrum and HIV-infected patients (Aim 4) and determine whether the
regional deposition of beta-amyloid covaries with local GABA concentrations in affected neural populations,
suggesting a specific role for GABAergic inhibitory circuits. Importantly, this supplement will allow for direct
comparisons between patients with HIV and AD-related cognitive deficits, which is an area of growing concern
in the field of neuroHIV due to the potential com...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10123945
- **Project number:** 3R01MH118013-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMES T. BECKER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $381,250
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2021-01-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10123945

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10123945, Multimodal Imaging of NeuroHIV Dynamics (MIND): An Omaha-Pittsburgh Consortium (3R01MH118013-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10123945. Licensed CC0.

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