Encephalopathy, with psychiatric and neurological signs and symptoms, is common in HIV infections in humans. A Simian Immunosupressive Virus (SIV) in rhesus monkeys also produces encephalopathy as well as immunosuppression. SIV in monkeys could therefore provide a valuable system for mechanistic and therapeutic studies of the CNS effects of a lentivirus, closely similar to HIV, in a primate related to man in which sophisticated behavioral assessments can be made. Monkeys will be trained in a number of tasks homologous to the functions that are impaired in HIV infections of the CNS in humans. When a steady state baseline has been obtained, the monkeys will be inoculated with SIV and the behavioral assessments continued until death of the subject. Detailed neuropathology will then be conducted. When the natural history of the progression has been adequately characterized subjects will be killed at different stages of the disease so that the progressive behavioral deficits can be related to the progressive neuropathological changes early in the disease and without the complication of terminal infections. The behavioral assessments will include: responding under FI schedules; a Delayed matching-to-sample procedure; a Strength test requiring sustained strong isometric work; a Steadiness test requiring a subject to hold a rod away from the edges of a hole; and a Visual scanning task that requires a subject to recognize a """"""""g"""""""" or and """"""""I"""""""" in large matrices of letters that include """"""""q""""""""s and """"""""l""""""""s.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH045641-05
Application #
2246682
Study Section
MH Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Research Review Committee (MHAZ)
Project Start
1989-09-30
Project End
1995-08-31
Budget Start
1993-09-01
Budget End
1995-08-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
1993
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Harvard University
Department
Veterinary Sciences
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
082359691
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Dews, P B (1991) Stereotypy and asymmetry in mice. J Neural Transm Suppl 34:211-6