Potential diagnostic and prognostic tools for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders
Researchers compared the brain tissue of 10 HIV patients with no neurological symptoms to the brain tissue of 20 patients suffering from HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), and discovered that patients with HAND had elevated levels of microRNAs that affected the expression of proteins needed for the development of peroxisomes, which are subcellular structures. "A number of critical peroxisomal proteins -- which are extraordinarily important for brain development and function -- were virtually absent in the brains of HIV patients," said Tom Hobman, a Canada Research Chair in RNA Viruses and Host Interactions and a professor of Cell Biology in the U of A's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. The team believes the finding offers a strong clue as to the underlying cause of HAND and that it could lead to new biomarkers to rapidly diagnose HAND and/or monitor the progression of HIV in patients and predict their likelihood of developing dementia. Approximat...