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Target Identified in Treatment of NeuroHIV
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Oct 8 2026
many people living with HIV experience nervous system problems.
Called neuroHIV, these complications occur when HIV infection affects the function and structural integrity of the brain and, to some extent, the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. The complications, including dementia and neuropathy, can cause problems with memory and thinking that make it hard for people to live a normal life.
Now, research led by biomedical scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has identified a brain protein driving this damage, pointing toward a possible treatment.
They found in a mouse model of neuroHIV that MAPK14's presence and activity in a specific type of brain cell, called microglia, are required for HIV to cause brain injury and memory problems. The research is published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
MAPK14, also known as p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase, becomes activated in microglial cells by exposure to a component on the surface of HIV, whether or not infection occurs.
"This is because microglia carry three critical binding sites for the HIV envelope protein gp120," Kaul said. "This interaction is sufficient for HIV to induce a neurotoxic state in microglia and compromise brain function."
the team plans to work on confirming the findings of the neuroHIV model in PWH.
"For this, we will need to investigate tissues of PWH who consented to donate them for research after death," Kaul said.
https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/09/22/target-identified-treatment-neurohiv
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