Interested in understanding the interaction between cannabis and the impacts of HIV on the brain, a team of researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine received an $11.6 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This substantial five-year grant will bolster crucial research efforts to understand the interplay between cannabis usage, its effects, and HIV.
Headed by principal investigator Dr. Lishomwa Ndhlovu, a distinguished professor of immunology in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Weill Cornell Medicine, the research team will delve into the ambiguous relationship between cannabis and HIV. Previous research suggests that HIV may alter brain functions; however, the potential impact of cannabis on these changes remains unclear. It could either worsen or possibly alleviate the impact of HIV on the brain.
The study forms part of the SCORCH program by NIDA, aimed at understanding how addictive substances might modify HIV's effects on the brain. Dr. Ndhlovu, Dr. Michael Corley, and Dr. Dionna Whitney Williams of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine spearhead this cannabis research.
HIV, now manageable as a chronic condition thanks to modern advancements in treatment, can still have adverse effects on the brain, causing a cognitive decline in up to half of those with the disease. Simultaneously, cannabis, a substance with the potential for addiction, is often used by individuals with HIV recreationally or for symptom relief, putting these individuals at potential risk of developing cannabis use disorder.
Conversely, the anti-inflammatory properties of cannabis may also benefit those living with HIV. It's speculated that these properties could mitigate the chronic inflammation associated with the virus, which is believed to contribute to long-term health issues and cognitive deficits among HIV patients. Dr. Williams said that the "findings from our lab and others demonstrate that inflammation can influence cognition in people living with HIV, and we're aiming to understand whether cannabis can mitigate those effects and how it does this on a molecular level."
To elucidate the complex relationship between cannabis and HIV, the research team will use this grant to scrutinize several brain regions, including the hippocampus, a crucial area for learning and memory. Utilizing brain tissue samples from human patients (post-mortem) and animal models, the team plans to investigate gene activity and the regulatory mechanisms at a cellular level.
Dr. Corley emphasized the importance of understanding how different brain cells respond to cannabis in the context of HIV. "It's unclear how different types of brain cells react to cannabis in the context of HIV," said Dr. Corley. "New single-cell technologies will allow us to map these changes at a resolution high enough to examine the effects on specific cell types."
Long-term, the project aims to generate valuable insights to improve prevention and treatment strategies for HIV-related cognitive deficits and cannabis use disorder. Dr. Robert O'Brien and Dr. Howard Fine from Weill Cornell Medicine also join the project as investigators, further reinforcing the scientific strength of the research team.
Sources: NIDA, NIH, EurekAlert!, CDC, University of Maryland SCORCH, Weill Cornell Medicine