Comparing two measures of psychomotor performance in patients with HIV: The coin rotation test and the modified HIV dementia screen

Background: 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). Objective: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.