Increased prevalence of septal cavitation in a nonschizophrenic sample: an MRI study of HIV-infected individuals

Analyses of MRI scans of 26 asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals (HIV+) and 10 HIV-seronegative psychiatric control subjects (HIV-) revealed an incidental finding: 50% of the HIV+ subjects had discernible cleft in the septum pellucidum (cavum septi pellucidi; CSP), compared to only 20% of the HIV- control subjects. HIV+ subjects with CSP were more likely to complain of sensory changes and performed more poorly on specific neuropsychological tests when compared with HIV+ subjects without CSP. These findings suggest that elevated rates of CSP are not limited to the schizophrenic population. CSP may be a marker of premorbid events that increase the vulnerability to cognitive and perhaps behavioral sequelae of neurologic disease or injury.