# Altered auditory networks in HIV-induced central nervous system dysfunction

> **NIH NIH R01** · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · 2020 · $610,252

## Abstract

Abstract Summary
 Neurocognitive disorders are a devastating consequence of HIV infection, which occur despite active
antiretroviral treatment. The central nervous system (CNS) can serve as a reservoir for HIV, and continued
immune activation of macrophages and microglia in the brain can lead to central neurological signs and
symptoms, including HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). HIV treatment may also have
neurological effects. Reliable biomarkers of CNS effects in HIV infection and treatment are essential to
diagnose and track this debilitating consequence of HIV. Traditionally, neurocognitive test batteries are used,
which can be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and sometimes stressful for the patient. These conventional test
batteries can be insensitive to early or subclinical changes and complicated by comorbidities (ADHD, learning
disabilities). An alternate way to assess central nervous system function in HIV infection may be through the
physiological assays of the central auditory network. In our NIDCD-funded research in both Tanzania and
Shanghai, China we have shown that HIV+ individuals have signs of a central auditory processing deficit,
including a strong negative relationship between cognitive performance and the ability to understand speech in
background noise (despite normal peripheral hearing determined by audiometric thresholds), higher gap
detection thresholds (another sign of a central auditory deficit) in HIV+ adults even though peripheral hearing is
intact, and changes on neuro-electrophysiological tests (frequency-following response). These findings likely
reflect dysfunction in the auditory network in these patients, since detecting gaps, processing sound, and
interpreting speech in noise are demanding CNS tasks involving the auditory network and its connections to
other circuits and centers. This offers the possibility of assessing the CNS effects of HIV infection and
treatment using central auditory test batteries. Central auditory effects might appear earlier than or
independently from other neurological or neuropsychological test findings, so detecting these changes could
complement or enhance current testing methods. For central auditory effects to be used as a biomarker,
however, the changes in the auditory network need to be correlated with central auditory findings and
neurocognitive testing results. The Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center follows a cohort of over 6000 HIV
positive individuals and has extensive neuroimaging capabilities. In collaboration with Dartmouth, they have
established the ability to make detailed central auditory processing measures. Our study will perform
neuroimaging of the auditory network and its connections in HIV+ people both with (n=60) and without (n=60)
HAND, including resting-state and auditory task-based fMRI, neuro-electrophysiological testing, and diffusion
basis spectral imaging, which will be correlated to performance on behavioral central auditory tests and
com...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9934302
- **Project number:** 5R01NS108809-03
- **Recipient organization:** DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** JAY C BUCKEY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $610,252
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-15 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9934302

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9934302, Altered auditory networks in HIV-induced central nervous system dysfunction (5R01NS108809-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9934302. Licensed CC0.

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