Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (
M-CSF) promotes macrophage differentiation, increases susceptibility of macrophages to
viral infection, and enhances human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in infected macrophages. Given the current model of HIV neuropathogenesis, which involves monocyte trafficking into the central nervous system,
immune factors linked with macrophage maturation and survival may be associated with
cognitive decline (measured by neuropsychological z-score [NPZ-8] or Memorial Sloan-Kettering [MSK] score) and alterations in a marker of neuronal integrity,
N-acetylaspartate (NAA). Fifty-four chronically infected HIV+ subjects underwent neuropsychological assessment, magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, and quantification of
M-CSF in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at baseline. Thirty-nine of those subjects underwent further examination at 3 and 10 months after initiation of
combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens. Within 3 months of
therapy use,
CSF M-CSF and
viral RNA levels were reduced, whereas NAA concentrations in many brain regions were increased. Neither baseline levels nor the change in
M-CSF levels had the ability to predict changes in NAA levels observed after 10 months of combination ART use. At study entry those with the lowest
M-CSF levels in the CSF had the least
cognitive impairment (NPZ-8). Those who had higher baseline
CSF M-CSF levels and exhibited larger decreases in
M-CSF after
therapy, tended to have greater cognitive improvement after 10 months. Increased prevalence of
M-CSF in the setting of
HIV infection could contribute to neuronal injury and may be predictive of
cognitive impairment.