Divergent structural and functional brain alterations in HIV-infected patients: a multimodal meta-analysis

Neuroimaging studies have identified brain structural and functional alterations in HIV-infected patients; however, the results are inconsistent. This study aimed to characterize the effects of HIV infection on regional gray matter volume (GMV) and resting-state brain activity, and to further invest...

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Main Authors: Zhong Li, Xingxing Jin, Meng Zhang, Hongxia Wang, Wangyi Liu, Beiran Wang, Baolin Wu, Xuekun Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Neurology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1618408/full
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author Zhong Li
Xingxing Jin
Meng Zhang
Hongxia Wang
Wangyi Liu
Beiran Wang
Baolin Wu
Xuekun Li
author_facet Zhong Li
Xingxing Jin
Meng Zhang
Hongxia Wang
Wangyi Liu
Beiran Wang
Baolin Wu
Xuekun Li
author_sort Zhong Li
collection DOAJ
description Neuroimaging studies have identified brain structural and functional alterations in HIV-infected patients; however, the results are inconsistent. This study aimed to characterize the effects of HIV infection on regional gray matter volume (GMV) and resting-state brain activity, and to further investigate the relations between abnormalities in these two modalities. We conducted voxel-wise meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and functional studies, respectively, to identify regional GMV and brain activity alterations in HIV-infected patients. Multimodal analysis was performed to examine the overlap of regional GMV and brain activity alterations. Meta-regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the potential effects of clinical variables. Eleven whole-brain VBM studies and eight resting-state functional studies were included. HIV-infected patients showed structural abnormalities alone in the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral calcarine cortex and left amygdala, and had functional abnormalities alone in the left middle frontal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus and visual cortices. No conjoint brain structural and functional abnormalities were identified. This study characterized dissociated brain structural and functional alterations in HIV-infected patients from a perspective of multimodal meta-analysis, which may provide new insights into the neurobiology of HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment.
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spelling doaj-art-6532d309ab77413facf32956e3ebb4f22025-08-20T03:47:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952025-08-011610.3389/fneur.2025.16184081618408Divergent structural and functional brain alterations in HIV-infected patients: a multimodal meta-analysisZhong Li0Xingxing Jin1Meng Zhang2Hongxia Wang3Wangyi Liu4Beiran Wang5Baolin Wu6Xuekun Li7Department of Magnetic Resonance, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, ChinaDepartment of Magnetic Resonance, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, ChinaDepartment of Magnetic Resonance, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, ChinaDepartment of Magnetic Resonance, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, ChinaDepartment of Magnetic Resonance, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, ChinaDepartment of Magnetic Resonance, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, ChinaDepartment of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaDepartment of Magnetic Resonance, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, ChinaNeuroimaging studies have identified brain structural and functional alterations in HIV-infected patients; however, the results are inconsistent. This study aimed to characterize the effects of HIV infection on regional gray matter volume (GMV) and resting-state brain activity, and to further investigate the relations between abnormalities in these two modalities. We conducted voxel-wise meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and functional studies, respectively, to identify regional GMV and brain activity alterations in HIV-infected patients. Multimodal analysis was performed to examine the overlap of regional GMV and brain activity alterations. Meta-regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the potential effects of clinical variables. Eleven whole-brain VBM studies and eight resting-state functional studies were included. HIV-infected patients showed structural abnormalities alone in the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral calcarine cortex and left amygdala, and had functional abnormalities alone in the left middle frontal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus and visual cortices. No conjoint brain structural and functional abnormalities were identified. This study characterized dissociated brain structural and functional alterations in HIV-infected patients from a perspective of multimodal meta-analysis, which may provide new insights into the neurobiology of HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1618408/fullhuman immunodeficiency virusgray matter volumeresting statebrain activitymeta-analysis
spellingShingle Zhong Li
Xingxing Jin
Meng Zhang
Hongxia Wang
Wangyi Liu
Beiran Wang
Baolin Wu
Xuekun Li
Divergent structural and functional brain alterations in HIV-infected patients: a multimodal meta-analysis
Frontiers in Neurology
human immunodeficiency virus
gray matter volume
resting state
brain activity
meta-analysis
title Divergent structural and functional brain alterations in HIV-infected patients: a multimodal meta-analysis
title_full Divergent structural and functional brain alterations in HIV-infected patients: a multimodal meta-analysis
title_fullStr Divergent structural and functional brain alterations in HIV-infected patients: a multimodal meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Divergent structural and functional brain alterations in HIV-infected patients: a multimodal meta-analysis
title_short Divergent structural and functional brain alterations in HIV-infected patients: a multimodal meta-analysis
title_sort divergent structural and functional brain alterations in hiv infected patients a multimodal meta analysis
topic human immunodeficiency virus
gray matter volume
resting state
brain activity
meta-analysis
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1618408/full
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