Immune responses in HIV infection, alcoholism, and aging: A neuroimaging perspective

Abstract

Biological changes that accrue during normal, healthy aging contribute to behavioral (cognitive and motor) decline attributable to structural and metabolic alterations in the brain. Superimposed on the pattern of the healthy aging brain are the consequences of frequent concomitants of aging such as hypertension and hormone deficiency. Even more complex are the brain modifications that can occur in the presence of comorbidities such as infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and alcohol dependence, each of which has independent deleterious effects on selective brain systems. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has extended the average life span of individuals infected with HIV [1-3]. Accompanying longevity and improved health with treatment are increased opportunity to initiate or resume high-risk activities such as unsafe drinking (estimates of alcoholism among HIV patients range from 8 to 63 %) [4-9], necessitating the consideration of the cumulative interactions of these disease processes on the aging brain [10].