# Examining a Biopsychosocial Model of Neurocognitive Health for HIV-positive Sexual Minority Men

> **NIH NIH F31** · HUNTER COLLEGE · 2020 · $33,471

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Neurocognitive impairment (NCI) has disproportionately impacted the HIV+ population since the height of the
AIDS crisis. Though modern antiretroviral therapy has afforded vast improvements in longevity, the overall
prevalence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) has remained stable for three decades. Sexual
minority men (SMM) have comprised the majority of all HIV diagnoses in the U.S. for the duration of the
epidemic. However, few studies have explored the notion that SMM may be correspondingly overrepresented
in the high proportion of HIV+ individuals impacted by NCI. Moreover, understanding of HAND etiology is
currently limited, which has hindered the development of empirically supported prevention and treatment
strategies for HAND. Research suggests that the chronic inflammatory action of HIV infection places HIV+
individuals at a higher risk for NCI, but despite common vulnerability to neuroinflammation, approximately half
of HIV+ individuals exhibit normative cognitive function across the lifespan, suggesting that individual-level
contextual factors underlie cognitive risk and resiliency. Chronic stress has also been associated with
neuroinflammation, via increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines. Building upon theories of syndemics and
minority stress, this investigation is based on a novel hypothesis that socio-structural syndemic factors (e.g.,
poverty, trauma) additively interact with minority stress (i.e., chronic psychological stress related to one’s
sexual identity) to diminish cognitive reserve (i.e., neuronal resilience against injury). Furthermore, we
hypothesize that chronically high levels of inflammatory cytokines represent a potential causative mechanism
through which minority stress negatively impacts cognitive health. As such, the project focuses on three aims:
(1) to test the hypothesis the NCI risk will increase with the number of psychological (i.e., minority stress) and
socio-structural syndemic (e.g., low education, homelessness) factors reported by HIV+SMM; (2) examine the
interactive impact of minority stress and socio-structural syndemic vulnerabilities on NCI risk; and (3) assess
the mediating role of elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6) in the hypothesized association between
minority stress and NCI risk. The proposed project will be embedded into a larger study (R01MH114735, PI:
Rendina), referred to herein as the parent project, which is actively enrolling 250 HIV+ SMM to examine the
role of minority and HIV-related stress on psychological, behavioral, and immunological health outcomes. The
proposed project will add one assessment to the parent project’s existing neurocognitive test battery to allow
for a more nuanced understanding of the cognitive health profile of HIV+ SMM. The research and training
plans guiding this proposal have been carefully crafted to optimize my ongoing doctoral training experiences
and foster my development as a future independent research...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10161435
- **Project number:** 1F31MH124509-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** HUNTER COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Laurel Anne Weaver
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $33,471
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2022-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10161435

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10161435, Examining a Biopsychosocial Model of Neurocognitive Health for HIV-positive Sexual Minority Men (1F31MH124509-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10161435. Licensed CC0.

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