HIV Reservoirs in Brain parenchyma and Cerebrospinal Fluid During Suppressive ART: Same-Same or Very Different?

The central nervous system (CNS) remains a relatively understudied reservoir of HIV that may have significant implications for HIV cure and the pathogenesis of cognitive disorders that persist despite viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy (ART). This review will describe our current understanding of the nature, size and composition of the CNS reservoir and the possible contribution of viral persistence in the CNS on viral replication, neuroinflammation and cognitive disease.

Reservoirs of intact and defective HIV proviral DNA have recently been detected in both the brain parenchyma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of ART-suppressed PWH. Moreover, viruses from these sites are transcriptionally and translationally active, with the potential to propagate infection ex vivo in the absence of ART. Ongoing viral persistence likely contributes to elevated risk of comorbid neurocognitive issues and measures of neuroinflammation support a pathological impact of HIV reservoirs on the brain. However, it is becoming clear that the sub-regions of the CNS including the brain parenchyma and CSF contain unique reservoir characteristics including cellular sources and reservoir dynamics which likely impart different effects on neuropathology. The CNS represents a heterogeneous reservoir of HIV with sub-regional differences in reservoir maintenance and cellular sources, highlighting the need to consider these nuances in HIV treatment, neuropathology and cure strategies.