Cognitive dysfunctions in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A mini review

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is often associated with different neuropsychiatric disturbances including various cognitive symptoms. These impairments, which affect up to 50% of all subjects, are very often reported by the patients, but generally receive poor attention, and are very rarely investigated and measured with standardized tests. This review aims to describe these symptoms, the brain circuits most often involved and their etiology, in order to provide updated information to professionals taking care of the disease. Publications from 2001 to 2012 were searched on Pubmed database through the following keywords: cognitive impairment and HCV, cognitive dysfunction in liver disease, brain and HCV, neuropsychiatric disorders in HCV, liver and brain. HCV subjects essentially show cognitive impairments of the executive functions, that is the brain activities allowing capacities such as the decision making, the planning and the management of non habitual situations. As these functions are relevant in every day life, these impairments entail significant consequences. The hypothesis suggested to explain these impairments i.e. the relationship between HCV infection and cognitive disturbances is a recent topic of research that will probably receive more attention in the future years.