Welcome to the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center

University of California, Department of Psychiatry

The HNRC has established itself as a productive, multidisciplinary endeavor whose organization, resources, and procedures have fostered multi-investigator and multidisciplinary cooperative research.

Research Areas

The HNRC is organized as a set of Scientific Cores and a Developmental Core, and an International Core, with the work of these entities being harmonized by a Coordinating Core. The Scientific Cores were chosen to provide the techniques and resources necessary for the next generation of neuroAIDS research. They include Cores in Neuromedicine, Neurobehavior, Neuroimaging, and Neurobiology, and Neurovirology.

Since its founding in 1989 the HNRC has established itself as a leader in neuroAIDS research. Research areas of the Center include:

• The incidence, prevalence, and features of neurocognitive impairment caused by HIV
• The attributes of the virus, host, and host-virus interactions that determine the presentation of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders
• Possible molecular and cellular mechanisms of nervous system impairment, including the mechanisms by which host-virus factors generate neural injury and neurobehavioral disorders
• The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a "window" on CNS events
• The role of co-pathogens and comorbidities in neuroAIDS (e.g., hepatitis C infection, methamphetamine abuse)
• "Real life" implications of neurocognitive impairment in terms of work, daily life, and survival
• The effects of HIV disease and neurocognitive impairment on family and social adaptation
• NeuroAIDS in resource limited settings
• Treatments for neurocognitive impairment and behavioral interventions

On these pages you will find general and detailed information about the Center's programs, research projects, and publications, as well as how to contact us and join us in our efforts to advance science and build a healthier future.