Self-report of symptoms and neuropsychological performance in asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals

This study examined the relationship between subjective complaints and neuropsychological performance in 133 HIV-positive asymptomatic and 80 HIV-negative gay or bisexual men. Presence and duration of self- reported symptoms were most strongly related to measures of information processing and reaction time. These relationships remained significant when the effect of depression was statistically controlled, and no significant relationships were found between CD4 level and either presence or duration of symptoms. These data suggest that 1) depression does not completely account for the relationship between subjective complaints and neuropsychological performance and 2) early subjective recognition of symptoms may represent a risk factor for subsequent development of neurobehavioral abnormalities.