Neurologic disorders are among the most frequent and devastating complications of HIV infection and AIDS. These disorders affect the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and muscle, and may result from HIV infection itself, its associated immune suppression, or as toxic effects of treatment. Up to 75% of HIV-infected patients ultimately develop neurologic complications,.

The Mount Sinai Neuro-AIDS Program has conducted and published a wide range of clinical research studies, addressing HIV dementia, opportunistic brain infections and neoplasms, myelopathy (spinal cord disorder), peripheral neuropathies and myopathy (muscle disease). Our collaborators have performed seminal neurophysiologic, neuropsychological, and neuropathological investigations in these diseases. The Infectious Diseases group has particular strength in molecular biological techniques to investigate characteristics of the HIV virus within the central nervous system.