HIV-1 and Brain Interaction on Smoking Comorbidity

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States. The alarmingly high smoking rates and unsatisfactory performance of standard smoking cessation efforts in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) interfere with the overall progress in the treatment of HIV-1 infection. Our understanding of nicotine addiction mechanisms in PLWH, and how they are related to and interact with HIV-1 neuropathology, is limited and thus hindering the development of more effective, targeted treatments. The study will directly address neurological complication of this HIV-associated comorbidity at the brain circuitry level using state-of-the-art imaging tools and methods.