# MULTIMODAL IMAGING OF NEUROHIV DYNAMICS (MIND): AN OMAHA-PITTSBURGH CONSORTIUM

> **NIH NIH R01** · FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME · 2021 · $991,021

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
HIV-infected adults in the western world have a life expectancy near that of the general population, but are at a
significantly elevated risk of developing cognitive impairments. Such impairments are the most common
neurological complication of HIV disease, with prevalence estimates ranging from 35-70% of all HIV-infected
individuals. Research targeting such comorbidities has been identified as a top priority by the Office of AIDS
Research (NOT-OD-15-137). While the mechanisms underlying these deficits are not well understood,
numerous human neuroimaging studies have examined the brain areas that may be involved, and overall these
studies have been largely successful in identifying the critical hubs and networks. However, many questions
remain regarding basic circuit dysfunction within these brain regions, and consequently there is a clear and
common need to further investigate the neural dynamics and connectivity, as well as other key physiological
parameters that may underlie the development and progression of HIV-related cognitive dysfunction.
This proposal responds to RFA-MH-18-610, which requests proposals that “advance knowledge of the etiology
of mild to moderate forms of HIV-related cognitive dysfunction by clarifying the role played by altered neuronal
circuits, receptors, and networks,” using “novel neuro-electrophysiological and neuroimaging techniques.” The
Multimodal Imaging of NeuroHIV Dynamics (MIND) Consortium responds to this call with an innovative, large-
scale multimodal neuroimaging study that uses the latest breakthroughs in instrumentation and data analyses
to identify the pathophysiology of neuroHIV in virally-suppressed adults. Specifically, the consortium will use
advanced magnetoencephalographic (MEG) imaging to quantify the region- and circuit-level neural dynamics
serving cognitive processing, 3-Tesla MRI and multimodal 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 (UNMC/UPMC). In
addition, this consortium will harness existing resources such as the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS)
database and the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium (NNTC) and, consistent with the RFA, will follow the
Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework to define cognitive constructs. The consortium’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. Such gamma deficits would provide robust explanator...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10322784
- **Project number:** 7R01MH118013-04
- **Recipient organization:** FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME
- **Principal Investigator:** Tony W. Wilson
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $991,021
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2021-05-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10322784

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10322784, MULTIMODAL IMAGING OF NEUROHIV DYNAMICS (MIND): AN OMAHA-PITTSBURGH CONSORTIUM (7R01MH118013-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10322784. Licensed CC0.

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