"Mouse Study: Memory Problems Observed In About Half With HIV"- Benjamin M. Adams
A new study on HIV-positive mice proves the virus causes cognitive difficulties, which can be prevented, but not reversed, by antiretroviral treatment. About half of people living with HIV now suffer from memory dysfunction, but according to research, early intervention with antiretroviral treatment could prevent such neurological impacts. The study, published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, was led by David J. Volsky, PhD, professor of medicine, pathology and infectious diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Mary Jane Potash, PhD, associate professor of medicine, infectious diseases and pathology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. It’s the first time scientists were able to reproduce in mice the viral reservoirs and cognitive declines seen in people living with HIV. Investigators traced cognitive problems to active HIV in large white blood cells, which could be the reasons it begins in the first place. Mount Sinai researchers developed EcoHIV, a genetically engineered rodent version of HIV that reproduces many aspects of human contraction, so that scientists could study HIV in an animal model that closely replicates what people experience.
- David J. Volsky, PhD, Professor, Medicine, Pathology, Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Mary Jane Potash, PhD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai