Global NeuroAIDS Roundtable

Authors

Jeymohan Joseph, National Institute of Mental HealthFollow
Cristian L. Achim, University of California - San DiegoFollow
Michael J. Boivin, Michigan State UniversityFollow
Bruce J. Brew, University of New South Wales
David B. Clifford, Washington University School of MedicineFollow
Deborah A. Colosi, National Institute of Mental Health
Ronald J. Ellis, University of California - San DiegoFollow
Robert K. Heaton, University of California - San DiegoFollow
Amadou Gallo-Diop, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de DakarFollow
Igor Grant, University of California - San DiegoFollow
Georgette Kanmogne, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Mahendra Kumar, University of Miami
Scott Letendre, University of California - San DiegoFollow
Thomas D. Marcotte, University of California - San DiegoFollow
Avindra Nath, National Institutes of HealthFollow
Carlos A. Pardo, Johns Hopkins University
Robert H. Paul, University of MissouriFollow
Lynn Pulliam, University of California - San FranciscoFollow
Kevin Robertson, University of North CarolinaFollow
Walter Royal III, University of Maryland School of MedicineFollow
Ned Sacktor, Johns Hopkins UniversityFollow
Pasiri Sithinamsuwan, Phramongkutkloa HospitalFollow
Davey M. Smith, University of California - San DiegoFollow
Victor Valcour, University of California - San FranciscoFollow
Brian Wigdahl, Drexel UniversityFollow
Charles Wood, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2013

Citation

J. Neurovirol. (2013) 19:1–9 DOI 10.1007/s13365-012-0143-9

Abstract

In May 2012, the Division of AIDS Research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) organized the “Global NeuroAIDS Roundtable” in conjunction with the 11th International Symposium on Neurovirology and the 2012 Conference on HIV in the Nervous System. The meeting was held in New York, NY, USA and brought together NIMH-funded investigators who are currently working on projects related to the neurological complications of AIDS (NeuroAIDS) in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America in order to provide an opportunity to share their recent findings and discuss the challenges encountered within each country. The major goals of the roundtable were to evaluate HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment and determine if it may be directly attributable to distinct HIV subtypes or clades and to discuss the future priorities for global NeuroAIDS research. At the “Global NeuroAIDS Roundtable”, presentations of preliminary research indicated that HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment is prevalent in all countries examined regardless of which HIV clade is present in the region. The only clear-cut difference between HIV-1 clades was in relation to subtypes A and D in Uganda. However, a key point that emerged from the discussions was that there is an urgent need to standardize neurocognitive assessment methodologies across the globe before definitive conclusions can be drawn regarding the relationship between HIV clade diversity and neuropathogenesis. Future research directions were also discussed at the roundtable with particular emphasis on the potential of viral and host factor molecular interactions to impact the pathophysiology of HIVassociated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) from a global perspective.