UCLA Study Shows AIDS Drugs May Not Protect Brain
October 11, 2005 - Drugs that extend the lives of AIDS patients by slowing the spread of the disease do not stop AIDS from infecting parts of the brain that control motor, language and sensory functions, according to a new study by medical researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Pittsburgh. Neurologist Dr. Paul Thompson of UCLA's Geffen School of Medicine says "Two big surprises came out of this study. First, that AIDS is selective in how it attacks the brain. Second, drug therapy does not appear to slow the damage. The brain provides a sanctuary for HIV where most drugs cannot follow." The study appears in the new issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.