Gap detection responses modelled using the Hill equation in adults with well-controlled HIV.

This was a pilot cross-sectional comparison, not a trial, so it cannot show that HIV caused the gap-detection differences or that any treatment would help. The usual gap-detection threshold did not differ between groups, and the significant result came from a novel curve model and a single 10-ms gap, so the finding may not be stable. The HIV group was younger than the comparison group; age adjustment did not remove the HIV curve difference, but the authors note a wider age range is needed. The Hill-equation neural-network interpretation was not tested directly, so lower cooperativity cannot be read as proven neuron loss or timing deficit. Participants came from middle-aged cohorts of sexual minority men and racial/ethnic minority women, so results may not apply to all people with HIV.

The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural research. The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Do not conclude that gap detection testing can diagnose HIV-related central auditory processing disorder or that HIV causes speech-in-noise difficulty. The traditional threshold was not significantly different, the study was a pilot, and the neural interpretation of the Hill parameters was not measured directly.