Imaging Treatment-Resistant Depression in HIV (INSIDE-HIV)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Non-Invasive Imaging of Neuroinflammation in Treatment-Resistant Depression Amongst People Living with HIV
IRAS ID
315876
Contact name
Jaime Vera Rojas
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sussex
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
The purpose of this study is to explore whether there are any differences in brain structure or function that can explain why some people living with HIV experience severe, treatment-resistant depression whereas others living with HIV experience low depression severity. Because HIV is a virus that remains hidden in the brain (even in people who are on antiretroviral medication), long-term HIV infection may cause the brain’s innate immune response – that is, your brain’s defence mechanism against infections – to be activated. This immune activation in the brain is termed “neuroinflammation”. Some studies have shown that neuroinflammation may be linked to depression, but not much research has been completed yet to verify this in people living with HIV.
In this exploratory study, we will analyse changes in the structure and chemistry of the brain (using neuroimaging) and concentrations of molecules in the blood that may indicate neuroinflammation. We will then test whether these measures of neuroinflammation are linked to how severe someone's depression symptoms tend to be. We hypothesise that people living with HIV who have greater degree of neuroinflammation will be more likely to experience severe or treatment-resistant depression than those who have low neuroinflammation.
REC name
London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0546
Date of REC Opinion
2 Sep 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion