# Longitudinal Study of HIV and Aging in Brazil

> **NIH NIH R01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $371,202

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This study will investigate the epidemiology and immunology of neurocognitive symptoms of post-acute
sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC, or “long COVID”) in older people living with HIV (PWH). Cognitive decline
remains a common and important complication of aging with HIV and is associated with adverse outcomes
including frailty, poor quality of life, disability, and death. Lasting neurocognitive symptoms of COVID-19 may
be more common in older PWH given their risk factors for PASC as well as differences in underlying immune
senescence and inflammation. However, the clinical burden and immunologic phenotypes of neurocognitive
symptoms of PASC in older PWH have not been described to date. This information is particularly needed in
low- and middle-income countries where heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations and high COVID-19
incidence were observed. This study will examine (1) the clinical phenotypes and determinants of
neuropsychiatric outcomes measures among older PWH with PASC and will seek to determine (2) the
immunologic and clinical profiles of older PWH with discordant immunologic and clinical sequelae of SARS-
CoV-2 infection. A nested, cross-sectional study using the rich baseline clinical data and biospecimens of the
NIA-funded Longitudinal Study of HIV and Aging in Brazil will collect detailed data of COVID-19 infections,
symptoms, and prior vaccination to identify older PWH with PASC. A cohort of 300 participants with and
without PASC will undergo additional neurocognitive testing to describe specific cognitive phenotypes in older
PWH with and without PASC. Further, we will use stored biospecimens to identify older PWH with poor
immunologic response to COVID-19 infection and vaccination as well as those with and without PASC to
examine differences in adaptive immune senescence and systemic measures of neuroinflammation to identify
clues of the immunologic mechanisms contributing to adverse COVID-19 outcomes in this population. Located
in one of the epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic and led by experts in HIV and COVID-19 epidemiology and
immunology, this study will offer novel and needed insights into a critical complication of the COVID-19
pandemic in PWH.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10613799
- **Project number:** 3R01AG071439-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jessica L Castilho
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $371,202
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-08-15 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10613799

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10613799, Longitudinal Study of HIV and Aging in Brazil (3R01AG071439-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10613799. Licensed CC0.

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