It is quite apparent that there is a complex interaction between the immune, endocrine and nervous systems. Recently, there have been increasing reports of neurological complications associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The AIDS dementia complex, a neurological syndrome seen in children and infants as well as adults, is characterized by disturbances in cognition, motor performance and behavior. The existence of a critical period in neuroendocrine development is substantiated by the observations that prenatal stressors alter subsequent reproductive behavior and response to stressors in the offspring. Viral infection elevates glucocorticoid levels in adult and newborn animals. The proposed experiments have been designed to assess whether or not exposure to viral infection during the fetal programming of neuroendocrine circuits might induce permanent changes in these pathways. The consequences of prenatal viral infection upon the immune system and neurobehavioral development will also be assessed. An animal model for pediatric AIDS is proposed. Pregnant rats will be injected with rat cytomegalovirus (RCMV). The consequences of early viral infection on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis of the offspring will be investigated. Attainment of developmental milestones will assess nervous system maturity. Several immune assays will be performed to examine the effects of RCMV, an immunosuppressive virus, on the immune system. The bulk of the literature reporting neuroendocrine consequences of viral infection has been performed in adult animals. The present experiments seek to contribute to the understanding of the impact of viral infection in the developing animal.
| Hall, N R; O'Grady, M P; Menzies, R A (1991) Neuroimmunopharmacologic effects of drugs of abuse. Adv Exp Med Biol 288:13-23 |
