Peripheral Reservoir of HIV DNA in Monocytes Pivotal to Cognition in HIV (A collaboration between SEARCH, Phramongkutklao Hospital, Chulalongkorn University)

This study will enroll 60 HIV positive individuals who are ARV-naïve and intent to start ARV within one month. The goals are to determine the long-term relationship between cognition and HIV DNA in circulating monocytes among patients initiating HAART for the first time and to define the longitudinal relationships between HIV DNA in monocytes and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of immune activation and increased myoinositol/creatine ratio by MRS. This is a 5-year study which begins in March 2009.