A new study of MRI images of HIV patients show how the virus damages the brain. The discoveries could  invoke possible treatment methods for the neurological damage imparted by the virus.

The study implemented a revolutionary breakthrough in 3-D imaging technology, as the research team from UCLA examined the amount of gray matter present in the cerebral cortex in both HIV-positive and negative patients.

They found that T-cells infected with the AIDS virus specifically targeted the brain's motor, language, and judgment centers, leading to a 15 percent average loss of cognitive ability in affected patients. This could explain why AIDS patients at the latter stages of the virus's progression often experience impaired reflexes.

Previous research on the neurological impact of HIV/AIDS estimates that as many as two in five patients will suffer from some sort of brain impairment during their lives. These conditions range from minor conditions to life-threatening diseases, such as Alzheimer's.

Dr Paul Thompson, lead author of the study, states that the neurological research could allow for unique treatment options in HIV patients newly diagnosed with a brain-afflicting condition.

"Here, (the findings) reveal how Aids impacts the brain and may also help identify early changes in neurologically asymptomatic patients with HIV who might benefit most from neuroprotective agents."

Thompson believes that further research on the neurological effects of HIV/AIDS may lead doctors to start implementing MRI scans of the brain in order to track the virus' progression instead of T-cell counts.