HIV and Dementia

The principal objective of this monograph is to inform scientists and educated lay audience of now well-documented involvement of the nervous system in AIDS and the tremendous opportunities for basic neuroscience research in this evolving area. The book includes papers presented at the conference Pathogenesis of HIV Infection of the Brain: Impact on Function and Behavior organized by the National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, USA.

Recent evidence indicates that HIV infection results in the perturbation of the blood-brain barrier potentially facilitating the entry of HIV into the brain parenchyma and directly causing neuronal dysfunction and ultimate death. In addition, recently established models of AIDS in monkeys, cats, and mice faithfully recapitulate aspects of neuropathophysiology of HIV infection in humans thereby providing new opportunities for research in NeuroAIDS.