BrainBlog

From the BBC's website: HIV's double hit on brain cells HIV can trigger learning and memory deficits by launching a double attack on the brain, research shows. It was already known that a protein on the surface of the virus could kill off mature brain cells. But the latest study shows it also prevents the production of replacements by crippling cells with the potential to step in and take their place. The University of California at San Diego study appears in the journal Cell Stem Cell. The researchers hope their work, which was carried out on mice, will aid efforts to find new ways to combat HIV-associated dementia. Researcher Dr Marcus Kaul said: "It's a double hit to the brain. "The HIV protein both causes brain injury and prevents its repair." The success of antiretroviral therapies in keeping "viral load" down has helped to reduce the severity of HIV-associated dementia in recent years. However, the condition is becoming more common as people w...