Neurodegeneration of somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons in HIV encephalitis

Recent studies have suggested that neuronal populations that contain glutamate receptors are vulnerable to damage mediated by the human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1). Somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons contain, among other elements, glutamate receptors, and might therefore be susceptible to HIV-mediated damage. In order to test this hypothesis, we compared patterns of somatostatin immunoreactivity in the cortex and subcortex of autopsied AIDS cases with and without HIV encephalitis (HIVE). Somatostatin immunoreactivity in the frontal cortex interneurons, hippocampal pyramidal and nonpyramidal cells, and globus pallidus was significantly reduced in HIVE. Radioimmunoassay demonstrated a comparable decrease in somatostatin levels in the neocortex of HIVE cases. The decrease in somatostatin immunoreactivity in the neocortex was inversely correlated with the severity of HIVE and global cognitive performance, but not with the extent of the astroglial reaction. These findings indicate that somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons in the cortex are susceptible to damage mediated by HIV and that deficient functioning of this neuronal population might contribute to the cognitive dysfunction observed in AIDS patients.