Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, dementia

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Wiley CA, Achim C (1994) Human immunodeficiency virus encephalitis is the pathological correlate of dementia in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Ann Neurol 36(4) 673-676 Wiley CA, Baldwin M, Achim CL (1996) Expression of HIV regulatory and structural mRNA in the central nervous system. Aids 10(8) 843-847... 

Patients often undergo a protracted course [e.g., acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), newly diagnosed cancer, primary degenerative dementia], whose ultimate outcome may be years away. This allows for numerous opportunities to intervene with a variety of therapeutic modalities including various psychotropics, depending on the particular phase or presenting symptoms. The eventual goal of all these therapeutic interventions is to provide the best circumstances possible to enhance the quality of life and ultimately for a peaceful death. 

Finally, there is an increasing need to evaluate the importance of environmental toxins in the pathology of Alzheimer s disease. There has been much interest lately in the role of aluminium as a causative factor, while the studies of dementia associated with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome have focused attention on the effects of slow viruses in causing brain cell death. 

NO may play a role in neurodegenerative disorders and other forms of neurotoxicity. NO is an important mediator in central nervous system oxygen toxicity, since inhibitors of NOS protect mice against this toxicity (Oury et al., 1992). NO may play a role in the pathogenesis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) dementia, as the neurotoxicity in primary cortical cultures induced by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coat protein, glycoprotein 120 (Lipton, 1992), is due, in part, to activation of NOS (V. 

The CALCAP (27) is used to measure simple and choice reaction time and speed of information processing. This test has proven to be sensitive in detecting central nervous system (CNS) changes in studies of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) dementia. This computerized test consists of four individual tests (one test of simple visual reaction time and three tests of choice reaction time) and takes only 10 min to administer. 

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