Comparing Two Measures of Psychomotor Performance in Patients With HIV: The Coin Rotation Test and the Modified HIV Dementia Screen

Abstract

Psychomotor slowing is an early symptom of HIV-associated dementia. The Modified HIV Dementia Scale (MHDS) is a fast, reliable measure of HIV-associated dementia. However, literacy may influence the psychomotor speed subscale (MHDS-PS). Psychomotor speed might be more accurately assessed using the Coin Rotation Test (CRT). This study examined the CRT's validity in assessing psychomotor speed in HIV+ patients by comparing it with the MHDS-PS. We also investigated whether demographic, education, or HIV-related variables were associated with either measure. The sample consisted of 204 HIV+ patients at a community health clinic. All participants completed the MHDS and CRT as part of admission to the clinic. Demographic, education, and disease data were also obtained. Correlations revealed good convergent validity between the CRT and MHDS-PS. Gender did not significantly affect CRT performance but did affect MHDS-PS performance. CRT performance was less affected by education than MHDS-PS performance. The CRT is a valid measure of psychomotor speed in HIV+ patients and may be more accurate than the MHDS-PS, particularly in individuals with lower levels of education.