Biomedical subjects

M Rodríguez Alvarez

Publications and source records attributed to M Rodríguez Alvarez.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Normal aging and AIDS.

Normal aging is accompanied by a wide range of changes in brain structure and function. In this work we seek to examine the hypothesis that normal aging results in neuropsychological findings similar to those produced by neuropsychological impairment related to AIDS. Specifically, we attempt to compare the level of neuropsychological performance in three groups: a normal elderly group (n = 46), a young group of AIDS patients (n = 36), and a young group of normal subjects (n = 22). The results indicated that, despite age differences between the normal elderly and AIDS patients, there was great similarity in the neuropsychological test performance of these two groups. In contrast, both groups demonstrated significantly different neuropsychological test performance than that evidenced by the younger normal controls. These results support the notion that neuropsychological changes related to normal aging are of a nature similar to those observed in AIDS and, therefore, affect functions subserved by frontal-subcortical brain regions.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Influence of infection related factors on neuropsychological performance of HIV seropositive subjects].

There are no definitive risk factors which predict the development of neuropsychological deficits associated to HIV infection, and, taking into account that neuropsychological impairment is a risk factor of early death in all stages of HIV infection, there is a pressing need to determine those factors, either related or foreign to HIV, which help to explain the existing intragroup differences and that may also be associated with the development and progression of the dysfunction. The aim of this work is to revise those factors related with the infection that can influence neuropsychological functioning of the seropositive patients, such as antiretroviral treatments, immunological impairment, viral load and the advance of the infection. Identification of these risk factors will help us to outline characteristics of the seropositive subjects who are neuropsychologically more vulnerable, in order to detect them early with a view to preventing the manifestation of neuropsychological disturbances, and offer quick, suitable treatment.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Opioid dependence and word learning].

We study the influence of the drug use story of polydrug users which use heroin as a principal drug in learning a new material. We assess the learning of a list of words in 31 heroin users and we compare their performance with a group of 31 non drug users with the same personal and sociocultural characteristics. The obtained results show an impairment in the performance of drug users which not depend of the length of addiction, abstinence, and either the presence of a polydrug use.

Adolescent↗