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Although exercise has been shown to improve cardiorespiratory and metabolic outcomes in people with HIV, its effect on cognitive ability remains understudied. Our study aimed to estimate the feasibility and efficacy potential of a 12-week aerobic and resistance training program on cognitive and physical performance outcomes. This is an externally controlled, two time-point, feasibility study within a larger study using a cohort multiple randomized controlled design yielding 3 groups: intervention group; comparison group and refusers. The intervention consisted of high-intensity interval training and resistance exercises 3 days/week. Specific feasibility and brain health outcomes were evaluated. Cognitive ability was ascertained by the Brief Cognitive Ability Measure (B-CAM) in all three groups. Standardized tests of physical performance were performed in the intervention group. Effect size, 95% confidence intervals, responder status analyses and reliable change indices were computed. Adherence to the intervention schedule and acceptability outcomes were good. There was no reliable change on B-CAM in the exercise group. Most physical performance measures benefited from the exercise training (effect sizes: 0.2 – 1.5). Although the 12-week exercise program improved physical capacity, it did not yield gains in cognitive ability in HIV. Further research is required to determine the exercise parameters that could benefit cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive reserve is a potential explanation for the disparity between brain pathology and its clinical manifestations. The main objective of this study was to estimate, based on published studies, the strength of the association between cognitive reserve and cognitive performance in individuals with HIV. A systematic literature search using Ovid MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and EMBASE was performed to identify studies published between 1990 and 2016 that quantified the association between cognitive reserve and cognitive performance in HIV. A random-effects meta-analysis was used to compute a summary estimate (Cohen's d) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and 95% prediction intervals (PI). The risk of bias and quality of reporting in the studies were indicated by the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS). Ten observational studies were deemed eligible. The pooled effect size was 0.9 (95% CI: 0.7–1.0; 95% PI: 0.4–1.4) with marked heterogeneity studies [Cochran's Q (df = 9) = 28.0, p =.0009; I2 statistic = 67.4%]. Risk-of-bias appraisal showed that non-response bias was never addressed and the items associated with selection bias were only partially met. The association between cognitive reserve and cognitive performance suggests that building reserve through non-pharmacological interventions could be a potentially effective way of combating cognitive impairment in people with HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]