Vaughn Bryant

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Clinical Neuropsychologist at University of Florida Health Science Center

Background Healthcare workers (HCWs) experienced high levels of stress and mental health consequences associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have contributed to unhealthy coping behaviors, such as substance use coping (SUC). This study aimed to understand the extent of and predictors of SUC. Methods The sample consisted of 263 HCWs in No...

Mood disorders are highly prevalent in people living with HIV (PLWH) and represent a potential contributor to functional impairment in activities of daily living. We aimed to determine if (1) Anxiety and depression symptoms were independently associated with impairments in basic self-care, role functioning, and social functioning and (2) PLWH diffe...

Background: Imbalance in tryptophan (TRP) metabolism and its neuroactive metabolites, serotonin and kynurenine (KYN), is a known pathogenic mechanism underlying neurocognitive impairment. Gut microbiota plays an important role in TRP metabolism, and the production of these neuroactive molecules affects neurocognitive function. Although both HIV in...

There is a paucity of research on the prevalence of subjective cognitive complaints in people living with human immunodeficiency virus, along with the predictors and outcomes related to these complaints. We assessed demographics, substance use and psychiatric predictors, and HIV-related outcomes associated with subjective cognitive complaint items...

Both HIV status and heavy alcohol use have been associated with reduced cognitive function, particularly in the domains of working memory and executive function. It is unclear what aspects of working memory and executive function are associated with HIV status and heavy alcohol use and whether performance on these measures are associated with funct...

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) among people living with HIV (PLWH) is a significant public health concern. Despite the advent of effective antiretroviral therapy, up to 50% of PLWH still experience worsened neurocognition, which comorbid AUD exacerbates. We report converging lines of neuroimaging and neuropsychological evidence linking comorbid HIV/AUD...

The microbiome-gut-brain axis, or the various interactions between the gut microbiome and the brain, has been of recent interest in the context of precision medicine research for a variety of disease states. Persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) experience higher degrees of neurocognitive decline than the general population, corre...

Background Direct biomarkers such as phosphatidylethanol (PEth) have the capability to detect heavy alcohol use, but it is unclear how strongly self‐reported reduction in alcohol use correlates with reduction in PEth. We sought to explore the strength of correlation between reductions in self‐reported alcohol use and change in PEth among a sample o...

Background Poorer working memory function has previously been associated with alcohol misuse, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive status, and risky behavior. Poorer working memory performance relates to alterations in specific brain networks. Objective The current study examined if there was a relationship between brain networks involved i...

The current study examined the association between perceived social support, depressive symptoms and alcohol use among people living with HIV (PLWH) 50 and older who identified as Black. Participants included 96 men and women ages 50 and older. Participants completed an interviewer-administered assessment examining mental and behavioral health func...

Background There is growing concern about the health impact of heavy alcohol use in people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV+). Mixed findings of past studies regarding the cognitive impact of alcohol use in HIV+ adults have been mixed, with inconsistent evidence that alcohol consumption exacerbates HIV‐associated brain dysfunction. T...

Objectives: Antiretroviral therapy is affording longer lifespans for people living with HIV (PLWH), yet factors such as substance use play an increasing role in morbidity and mortality in this population. Though previous studies have examined substance use differences between age cohorts of PLWH, no study has examined the influence of birth cohort...

In a cohort of patients receiving care for HIV, we examined longitudinally the impact of past 30-day frequency of heavy drinking (consuming 5+ drinks on one occasion) on HIV-related (detectable viral load and CD4+ T cell count) and non-HIV-related (hemoglobin and biomarkers of kidney function and liver fibrosis) clinical outcomes and the extent to...

Working memory is an executive memory process that allows transitional information to be held and manipulated temporarily in memory stores before being forgotten or encoded into long-term memory. Working memory is necessary for everyday decision-making and problem solving, making it a fundamental process in the daily lives of older adults. Working...

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neuropathologically defined disease reportedly linked to a history of repetitive brain trauma. As such, retired collision sport athletes are likely at heightened risk for developing CTE. Researchers have described distinct pathological features of CTE as well a wide range of clinical symptom presentations...

Background The acute consumption of excessive quantities of alcohol causes well-recognized neurophysiological and cognitive alterations. As people reach advanced age, they are more prone to cognitive decline. To date, the interaction of current heavy alcohol (ethanol [EtOH]) consumption and aging remains unclear. This study tested the hypothesis th...

To determine the relationships among body mass index (BMI), and HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment and the potential mediating effects of inflammatory cytokines. Among the HIV-infected individuals (N = 90) included in this study, obesity was associated with slower processing speed (β = −.229, standard error (SE) = 2.15, p = .033), compared to...

Estimates suggest 30% of adults report the highest levels of loneliness. Though men are more likely than women to use illicit substances and engage in heavy drinking, the prevalence of substance use in women is growing and their escalation toward dependence occurs more rapidly. Loneliness and substance use have greater relevance within the HIV+ pop...

Conventional transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) methods involve application of weak electrical current through electrodes encased in saline-soaked sponges affixed to the head using elastic straps. In the absence of careful preparation, electrodes can drift from their original location over the course of a tDCS session. The current paper...

Depression and apathy are common among people living with HIV (PLWH). However, in PLWH, it is unclear whether depression and apathy are distinct conditions, which contribute to different patterns of disruption to cognitive processing and brain systems. Understanding these conditions may enable the development of prognostic indicators for HIV associ...

Aim: Examine the influence of substance use on prosocial behaviors (e.g., working) by gender. Extant literature suggests that gender specific interventions may be more effective in meeting the needs of illicit drug using populations. Prosocial economic behaviors are associated with better treatment outcomes. However, little work has been done to un...

Introduction: The advent of combination antiretroviral therapy(cART) has lead to a significant reduction in morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV(PLWH). However, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) still remain a significant problem. One possible mechanism for the persistence of these disorders is through the effect of HI...

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It consists of the Office of the Director (OD) and 27 institutes and centers which make up the largest source of medical and scientific funding in the world (United States Department of Health and Human Services & National Institutes o...

There is a dire need for interventions that will address the multiple factors-poverty, substance use, early sexual debut, and violence-that influence Haitian youth's engagement in risky behaviors. The deteriorating socioeconomic and political state of the country has had a deleterious effect on the sociocultural milieu and on the boundaries that ha...

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of smoking (past and current) on multiple domains of cognitive functioning in a sample of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). We hypothesized that among PLWHA, current smokers would demonstrate poorer cognitive functioning when compared to non-smokers, specifically in the cognitive doma...

HIV seroprevalence estimates range from 5.2–22.9% in the severely mentally ill (SMI) depending on population factors including gender, substance abuse, and region of residence, namely metropolitan or non-metropolitan (1). Regardless of the actual HIV rate among SMI, researchers agree that rates are higher than in the general population (2). Further...

Among severely mentally ill (SMI) substance abusers, HIV rates are elevated and HIV risk reduction interventions have been shown to be less effective. An enhanced cognitive behavioral HIV risk reduction intervention (E-CB) for SMI was compared to a health promotion condition (HPC) in 222 psychiatric outpatients at 6 months postintervention. Compare...

This study identified personality clusters among a community sample of adolescents of Haitian decent and related cluster subgroup membership to problems in the areas of substance abuse, mental and physical health, family and peer relationships, educational and vocational status, social skills, leisure and recreational pursuits, aggressive behavior-...

Background: This study examines the distribution of PTSD symptoms and diagnoses by gender among an HIV positive sample in Haiti. Methods: The sample consisted of 103 HIV positive, Haitian adults (mean age =35 years; 44 males, 59 females) from an NIAAA-funded study on HIV positive alcohol abusers which was supplemented to examine PTSD after the eart...

Background: Exposure to violence (EV) at a young age is associated with sexual risk, drug use, and fewer educational opportunities. Few studies have examined how parent-adolescent relationship factors and awareness of neighborhood violence is related to adolescent risk behavior. Methods: The study sample was 99 male and female adolescents ages 14...

In vitro studies suggest that reducing cholesterol inhibits HIV replication. However, this effect may not hold in vivo, where other factors, such as cholesterol's immunomodulatory properties, may interact. Fasting blood samples were obtained on 165 people living with HIV at baseline and after 24 weeks on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)...