Increased cerebral blood volume in HIV‐positive patients detected by functional MRI

Objective To study changes in cerebral hemodynamics related to HIV infection. Background Cerebral injury is a well-known manifestation of HIV infection. Physiologic changes in the HIV brain may precede structural changes and may be detected by functional MRI (fMRI). Methods Dynamic contrast fMRI was used to measure the cerebral blood volume (CBV) in 13 patients infected with HIV and in 7 healthy control subjects. Results Significant increases in dynamic CBV were found in the deep (p p Conclusions This study supports the hypothesis that HIV infection is associated with significant cerebral hemodynamic changes, particularly in the DGM, that may contribute to cognitive dysfunction in AIDS. Functional MRI may be useful for early detection of cerebral injury and for the assessment of novel therapies.