Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42332320›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurovirology2026

Cognitive and sensorimotor impairments in virally suppressed people with and without HIV in Uganda: Associations with neurofilament light chain as a biomarker of neuronal injury.

K Ridgeway, Raha M Dastgheyb, Rebecca E Easter, Eran F Shorer, Aggrey Anok, Stephen Tomusange, Julie Mannarino, Deanna Saylor, Magnus Gisslen, Henrik Zetterberg and 4 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurovirology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

K RidgewayDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Raha M DastgheybDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Rebecca E EasterDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Eran F ShorerDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Aggrey AnokRakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo, Uganda.
Stephen TomusangeRakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo, Uganda.
Julie MannarinoMissouri Institute of Mental Health, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Deanna SaylorDepartment of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Magnus GisslenDepartment of Infectious Disease, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Henrik ZetterbergDepartment of Infectious Disease, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Noeline NakasujjaDepartment of Psychiatry, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Gertrude NakigoziRakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo, Uganda.
Robert PaulMissouri Institute of Mental Health, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Leah H RubinDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. lrubin@jhu.edu.

Funding

Therapeutic CoreP30MH075673 · NIMH · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Leah Helane Rubin · 2006 to 2026
$33.2M
Mental Health and Cognition in HIV Infection in Rakai UgandaR01MH120693 · NIMH · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI PAUL, ROBERT HARRIS, RUBIN, LEAH HELANE · 2019 to 2023
$2.9M
NIH HHS MH120693; MH075673NIMH NIH HHS P30 MH075673NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH120693The Swedish state, under an agreement between the Swedish government and the county councils ALFGBG-1005848
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Brain health disorders (BHDs) remain a concern for people with HIV (PWH) despite antiretroviral therapy access and viral suppression. The contribution of HIV to brain health is often obscured by comorbidities in high-income settings which are less prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of axonal injury, may offer insight into underlying mechanisms. 338 virally-suppressed PWH and 250 people without HIV (PWoH) completed a Research Domain Criteria-informed battery assessing cognitive, sensorimotor, and social processing systems. Demographically-adjusted norms were derived from PWoH. Serostatus differences in impairment (≥ 1SD below the mean) were examined using multivariable logistic regression. Additional models examined associations between NfL (plasma, cerebrospinal fluid [CSF]) and task performance. PWH were similar to PWoH in age (43.9 vs. 43.5yrs), sex (female, 54 vs. 46%), and education (6.1 vs. 5.8yrs). PWH had higher odds of impairment in the cognitive control and attention (Color Trails, Symbol Digit) and sensorimotor (Grooved Pegboard) domains. Plasma NfL was associated with sensorimotor impairment in both groups. Similar trends held in CSF NfL but did not reach statistical significance, likely due to sample size (n = 85). Cognitive and sensorimotor difficulties are common in PWH in Rakai, independent of typical Western confounders. The profile of impairment differs from reports in high-income settings where declarative memory deficits are often observed. NfL was associated with sensorimotor impairment, suggesting that NfL may capture ongoing axonal injury and motor system vulnerability in PWH and PWoH. These findings suggest NfL's potential as a biomarker of sensorimotor impairment in sub-Saharan Africa.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionHIV InfectionsNeurofilament ProteinsAdultBiomarkersFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsUgandaBiomarkersneurofilament protein LNeurofilament ProteinsCognitionHIVMotorNFLUganda

Identifiers

PMID42332320
PMCPMC13492402

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.