Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 correlates with subcortical brain injury in HIV infection

Diffusion tension imaging (DTI) exploits the random translational movements of water molecules as a noninvasive mechanism for probing brain regions of interest (ROIs). 1 This strategy can be used to derive putative measurements of tissue injury in vivo. Diffusion abnormalities have been detected in patients with HIV, and DTI measurements correlate with cognitive status. 2 Markers of immune activation, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and of anemia (hematocrit) have been identified as potential determinants of HIV-dementia (HIV-D). (3) This investigation examined relationships between MCP-1, TNF-alpha, and hematocrit levels in plasma and measurements of the direction-dependent (anisotropy) and mean diffusivity quantified for regions that are vulnerable to injury in patients with HIV, including centrum semi-ovale, caudate, and putamen.