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Absence of age-related neurodegenerative changes during SIV infection and treatment in aged macaques
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2019
Abstract
The advent of combined antiretroviral therapy (CART) has changed HIV infection from a lethal disease to a chronic infection. CART has substantially mitigated infection-associated immunosuppression, related opportunistic infections and HIV encephalitis, nevertheless a substantial percentage of infected individuals are afflicted with a spectrum of HIV-associated neurological disorders (HAND). As approximately 45% of HIV-infected subjects in developed countries are over the age of 50, it has been hypothesized that infection may exacerbate age related neurodegenerative processes. We used the nonhuman primate SIV infection model to test whether chronic infection of aged primates, with or without CART, is associated with accelerated age-related neurodegeneration. Two dozen aged macaques (average age 18 years at entry 20 years at the end) were divided into two groups, half infected with SICmac251 and the other half not. After 10 months, half of each of these groups were either treated or not with CART and followed for an additional 6 months. We previously reported the clinical and neurobehavioural outcome. Here we compared the molecular and histologic findings in the four groups. Using a broad spectrum of histological markers, we found no evidence in the macaques of neuropathological changes associated with aging in humans. While the number of animals is small and length of infection limited, this study does not support the hypothesis that lentiviral infection or treatment accelerates age-related neurodegenerative changes in the primate brain.
This presentation will enable the learner to:
1. Explore current theories on the pathogenesis of lentiviral-related neuropathology
2. Explain limitations of nonhuman primate models of age-related human brain changes
- Type
- Abstracts
- Information
- Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 46 , Supplement s2: ABSTRACT: 58th Annual Canadian Association of Neuropathologists Meeting , September 2019 , pp. S66 - S67
- Copyright
- © The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences Inc. 2019