Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41545865›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroinflammation2026

Elevated inflammation in people with HIV is associated with aberrant neural oscillations serving selective attention.

Kellen M McDonald, Jake J Son, Mikki Schantell, Nathan M Petro, Ryan Glesinger, Hannah J Okelberry, Jason A John, Lucy K Horne, Pamela E May-Weeks, Adam J Case and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuroinflammation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Kellen M McDonaldInstitute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
Jake J SonInstitute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
Mikki SchantellInstitute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
Nathan M PetroInstitute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
Ryan GlesingerInstitute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
Hannah J OkelberryInstitute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
Jason A JohnInstitute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
Lucy K HorneInstitute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
Pamela E May-WeeksDepartment of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA.
Adam J CaseDepartments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Medical Physiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
Matthew C ZimmermanDepartment of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA.
Rachel K SpoonerInstitute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
Tony W WilsonInstitute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA. tony.wilson@boystown.org.

Funding

Stress-Induced Aberrations in the Mitochondrial Redox Environment Impact Developing Neural Circuits Supporting Cognitive ControlP20GM144641 · NIGMS · FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME · PI Rachel K. Spooner · 2022 to 2026
$15.1M
Suppression of Pathological Spontaneous Cortical Dynamics and Inflammation in NeuroHIVR01DA056223 · NIDA · FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME · PI Tony W. Wilson · 2022 to 2026
$3.4M
Dynamic Functional Mapping of Alzheimer's Spectrum and HIV-related Brain DysfunctionR01NS141729 · NINDS · FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME · PI Tony W. Wilson · 2024 to 2026
$2.4M
New MEG System for Improved Quantification of Human Brain DynamicsS10OD028751 · OD · FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME · PI WILSON, TONY W · 2020 to 2020
$1.9M
Coupling of Inflammasome Cascades and Aberrant Neural Oscillatory Dynamics in NeuroHIVR01DA059877 · NIDA · FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME · PI Tony W. Wilson · 2024 to 2026
$1.7M
Impact of HIV and Cannabis Use on Executive Brain Function and InflammationF31DA063403 · NIDA · FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME · PI Kellen M McDonald · 2025 to 2026
$100k
Altered Oscillatory Dynamics in People with HIV and Methamphetamine Use DisorderF31DA056296 · NIDA · FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME · PI SCHANTELL, MIKKI · 2022 to 2023
$52k
NIDA NIH HHS F31 DA056296NIDA NIH HHS F31-DA056296NIDA NIH HHS F31 DA063403NIDA NIH HHS F31-DA063403NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA056223NIDA NIH HHS R01-DA056223NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA059877NIGMS NIH HHS P20 GM144641NIGMS NIH HHS P20-GM144641NIH HHS S10 OD028751NIH Office of the Director S10-OD028751NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS141729NINDS NIH HHS R01-NS141729
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundModern medicine has greatly extended the lifespan of people with HIV (PWH), but the risk of cognitive decline remains sharply elevated. Such impairments have been linked to aberrant neural oscillations across multiple brain regions, particularly attention-related cortices, with persistently high inflammatory levels widely thought to be central. While a few studies have linked elevated inflammation with cognitive impairment in PWH, none have extended this link to the underlying neurophysiology.

methods88 PWH and 91 controls underwent dynamic functional mapping with magnetoencephalography (MEG) during an attention task, a blood draw, and neuropsychological testing. Using multiplex immunoassays, we quantified inflammatory markers implicated in CNS function (i.e., TNF-α, CRP, IP-10) and derived a neuroinflammation index. Whole-brain functional maps of neural oscillatory activity were subjected to linear mixed effect modeling to identify the relationships between inflammation and task-related oscillations that differed by group (p < .005, corrected).

findingsPWH performed more poorly than controls on the MEG selective attention task and on neuropsychological tests. PWH also had elevated neuroinflammatory index scores compared to controls, which were correlated with attentional performance. Significant condition-by-group-by-inflammation interactions in the theta (4–8 Hz) and alpha (8–14 Hz) ranges were detected across frontoparietal cortices, with greater inflammation scaling with stronger theta responses in PWH in multiple regions. Further, parietal responses were significantly correlated with clinical indices of HIV.

interpretationThese findings provide the first direct link between neurophysiological dysfunction and elevated inflammation in virally suppressed PWH, suggesting that interventions targeting inflammation may be highly promising in mitigating cognitive decline.

Indexed as

AttentionBrainBrain WavesHIV InfectionsInflammationAdultFemaleHumansMagnetoencephalographyMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsAlphaFrontoparietal networkMagnetoencephalographyMEGPWHTheta

Identifiers

PMID41545865
PMCPMC12892448

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.