Independent effects of HIV infection and cocaine dependence on neurocognitive impairment in a community sample living in the southern United States

While cocaine does not appear to increase vulnerability to global HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment, it does have independent adverse effects on executive functioning and processing speed. Given prior evidence that domain-specific deficits predict real-world impairments, our results may help explain the poorer behavioral and functional outcomes observed in HIV-infected cocaine users.