Publications by authors named "John Cheatwood"
Background: Nearly half of adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) experience HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND), characterized by cognitive impairments in two or more cognitive domains, which can interfere with everyday functioning. Many factors are thought to influence such cognitive impairments in adults with HIV; one factor seldom examined is personality.
Objective: This study investigated the association between five major dimensions of personality (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and cognitive function in older adults with HIV.
Older adults and people living with HIV have been shown to experience disproportionately more olfactory dysfunction. Some neurological studies suggest that olfactory dysfunction may be a precursor to cognitive dysfunction. The purpose of our study was to determine whether olfactory dysfunction was predictive of cognition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFApproximately 50% of older adults with HIV meet the Frascati diagnostic criteria of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) which can interfere with everyday function such as medication adherence, employment, and driving ability, thus reducing quality of life. As the number of older adults with HIV continues to grow, many will become vulnerable to cognitive frailty, especially as they experience multimorbidities, polypharmacy, and geriatric syndromes. Healthcare professionals need strategies to prevent, remediate, and compensate for cognitive losses observed in memory, language, executive functioning, and speed of processing.
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- Aging individuals with HIV, especially African Americans, experience more severe olfactory dysfunction compared to their Caucasian counterparts.
- A study involving 34 African American men and 17 Caucasian men with HIV showed they struggled more with smell detection and odor identification than HIV-negative peers.
- The findings suggest these olfactory issues could lead to poor eating habits, particularly given African Americans' preference for salty and sweet foods, raising the risk of further health complications.
The synergistic effects of HIV and aging on the brain may compromise cognitive reserve, resulting in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder. The neuroscience literature suggests that computerized cognitive training programs represent a practical strategy to protect or remediate cognitive functioning in older adults. Such cognitive training programs may hold similar therapeutic benefits for adults living with HIV.
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