January 2006 Cover
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As drug therapies improve, many HIV/AIDS patients are living longer. However, studies suggest that at least two patients in five will experience cognitive impairments, ranging from minor deficits to dementia. The pattern of damage HIV inflicts on the brain has not been
well understood.
In the current study, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were used to examine the brains of 26 AIDS patients. When compared with the brains of 14 healthy control subjects, the AIDS patients had 10-15 percent thinner brain regions, including the primary sensory,
motor and premotor cortices. These changes were observed whether or not the patients were taking AIDS drugs. The tissue loss indicated by the MRI scans correlated with cognitive and motor deficits shown by AIDS patients in brain function tests. The brain tissue loss appeared to be
related to the subject's CD4 cell count.
Editor's Note: from BBC News
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