The overall objective of the Neuroimaging Core is to provide the HNRC and associated investigatorsunique, non-invasive methods for: 1) in vivo detection and measurement of HIV-related brain damage, 2)elucidation of pathological mechanisms that give rise to this damage, 3) further investigation of thefunctional consequences using fMRI, and 4) identification of neural correlates of treatment success andfailure. In the current funding period, the Core has (1) supported 21 extramurally funded projects, resultingin, for example, findings discriminating HIV-related from age-related white matter abnormalities, convergentand divergent patterns of brain structural abnormalities in HIV infection and methamphetaminedependence, fMRI evidence of compensatory activation in response to neural dysfunction in HIV, and MRspectroscopy detection of potential central neuronal injury related to antiretroviral treatment; (2) trained 12postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate trainees in neuroimaging research; and (3) providedconsultation and assistance to national and international collaborators in two multicenter trials.
Our aims i nthe proposed renewal period are to accomplish the following: a) acquisition of high-resolution structuralimages and tissue metabolite measures to evaluate late-stage HIV disease; b) application of morphometrytechniques, designed specifically for this population, to measure tissue loss and damage; c) support ofother HNRC, national, and international neuroimaging investigations with consultation and training; d)contribution of data and expertise for the development of improved automated morphometry tools; and e)education of the HIV research community regarding promising new imaging methods for NeuroAIDSresearch. Additionally, during the next funding period specific new method developmental studies will beinitiated to define the histological characteristics of visible abnormalities on in vivo MRI in individual casesthat come to autopsy, employing novel high-resolution histological and imaging methods to understand ofthe meaning of MRI-visible abnormalities This Core will enhance HNRC transdisciplinary aims throughclose collaboration with other HNRC Cores, particularly the Neuromedical, Neurobehavioral, andNeurobiology. These broad-ranging functions of the Neuroimaging Core ensure state of the artneuroimaging support for HNRC-associated studies, close integration between the interdisciplinary HNRCinvestigative team, and, as appropriate, linkage to the larger national and international neuroimagingcommunity.
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