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Verbal working memory in HIV-seropositive drug users

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2000

ROXANNA FARINPOUR
Affiliation:
VA Chicago Health Care System-West Side Division, Chicago, Illinois Department of Psychology, Finch University of the Health Sciences, North Chicago, Illinois Now at the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Neuropsychiatric Institute, Los Angeles, California
EILEEN M. MARTIN
Affiliation:
VA Chicago Health Care System-West Side Division, Chicago, Illinois Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
MICHAEL SEIDENBERG
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Finch University of the Health Sciences, North Chicago, Illinois
DAVID L. PITRAK
Affiliation:
VA Chicago Health Care System-West Side Division, Chicago, Illinois Department of Medicine–Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
KENNETH J. PURSELL
Affiliation:
VA Chicago Health Care System-West Side Division, Chicago, Illinois Department of Medicine–Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
KATHLEEN M. MULLANE
Affiliation:
VA Chicago Health Care System-West Side Division, Chicago, Illinois Department of Medicine–Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
RICHARD M. NOVAK
Affiliation:
VA Chicago Health Care System-West Side Division, Chicago, Illinois Department of Medicine–Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
MARTIN HARROW
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that HIV-seropositive drug users are impaired on tasks of visuospatial working memory compared with drug users seronegative for HIV. In the current study we evaluated the performance of 30 HIV-seropositive male drug users and 30 risk-matched seronegative controls on two measures of verbal working memory, the Listening Span and the verbal Self Ordered Pointing Task. Impaired working memory performance was significantly more common among HIV-seropositive persons compared to controls, with the highest incidence of deficit among symptomatic participants. These findings indicate that working memory deficits in persons with HIV are not domain-specific and can be demonstrated reliably in drug users. (JINS, 2000, 6, 548–555.)

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 The International Neuropsychological Society

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