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Cerebrovascular disease is often associated with cognitive impairment. Owing to evolving definitional criteria, however, it has proved difficult to determine the frequency of vascular cognitive disorders in the general population. In this review, Ola Selnes and Harry Vinters review the current state of knowledge in the field of vascular cognitive impairment, emphasizing the neuropathologic and neurocognitive aspects.
The development of combination antiretroviral therapy has led to dramatic reductions in HIV-related morbidity and mortality. Paradoxically, however, the rapid restoration of the immune system that ensues from this treatment can lead to a deterioration in the patient's clinical status—a condition known as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). In this Review, Riedel et al. describe the CNS manifestations of IRIS, and they propose a series of guidelines for establishing a diagnosis and managing the condition.
As our understanding of the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases continues to improve, the prospect of using gene therapy to treat these conditions becomes increasingly realistic. This Viewpoint article discusses initial trials of an RNA interference gene-silencing strategy to modify the expression of mutant proteins in animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and considers the hurdles that will need to be overcome to translate this approach into the clinic.