Plasma sCD14 Is a Biomarker Associated With Impaired Neurocognitive Test Performance in Attention and Learning Domains in HIV Infection

Mild forms of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) remain prevalent in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Although elevated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and immune activation are implicated in HAND pathogenesis, relationships of LPS and inflammatory markers to mild forms of HAND or impairment in specific cognitive domains are unknown. To examine these relationships, we compared plasma soluble CD14 (sCD14), CCL2, and LPS levels with neurocognitive test scores in a cART era cohort. We analyzed plasma from HIV+ subjects (n = 97) with nadir CD4 counts