Dopamine Is a Pathogenetic Factor in HIV-Induced Neuro-AIDS

During the first years of the AIDS pandemic caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a progressive, dementing illness, later called simply Neuro-AIDS, AIDS dementia complex or HIV dementia was defined as one of the consequences of the viral brain infection (Navia et al., 1986a; Navia et al., 1986b). According to WHO report, December 2000, it is estimated that around 36 million people world wide are infected with HIV. One-third of them is expected to develop HIV-dementia. HIV is the leading cause of dementia in people less than 60 years of age (Janssen et al., 1992; McArthur et al., 1993).