Brain Microstructural Correlates of Cognitive Dysfunction in Clinically and Biochemically Normal Hepatitis C Virus Infection.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study examined correlates of the brain's neurocognitive performance among clinically and biochemically normal adult patient with hepatitis C virus (HCV). We hypothesized that anti-HCV positive individuals would demonstrate structural brain abnormalities and neurocognitive dysfunction as well as the changes in cell component and extracellular space in the white matter regions of brain in asymptomatic HCV infection by using diffusion tensor tractrography (DTT) metrics.

METHODS: Anti-HCV positive patient ( n  = 40), and healthy controls ( n  = 31), fulfilling inclusion criteria (incidentally detected anti-HCV positive) and able to provide informed consent were screened and recruited for the study. All these subjects and controls underwent subjective assessment of their quality of life related symptoms, neuropsychometric tests (NPT) and magnetic resonance imaging.

RESULTS: The patients were subjected to neuroimaging as well as psychological testing. There was no significant difference in basic laboratory parameters in these two groups. Independent t -test reveals significantly lower neuropsychological functioning as compared to healthy control. A significantly decreased FA values and myoinsitol were observed in HCV subjects on sensory, inferior longitudinal fascicules, and STR fiber bundles as compared to healthy control. Bivariate correlation analysis reveals that neuropsychological scores are significantly positive.

CONCLUSION: Our result show that HCV positive individuals would demonstrate structural brain abnormalities and neurocognitive dysfunction as well as the changes in cell component and extracellular space in the white matter regions of brain in asymptomatic HCV infection by using DTT metrics.