Role of non-classical monocytes in HIV-associated vascular cognitive impairment.

Despite antiretroviral treatment (cART), people living with HIV (PLWH) are more susceptible to neurocognitive impairment (NCI), probably due to synergistic/additive contribution of traditional cerebrovascular risk factors. Specifically, altered blood brain barrier (BBB) and transmigration of inflammatory monocytes are risk factors for developing cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). In order to investigate if inflammatory monocytes exacerbate CSVD and cognitive impairment, 110 PLWH on cART and 110 age-, sex- and Reynold’s cardiovascular risk score-matched uninfected individuals were enrolled.