Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), the cause of the common cold sore, can spread into the central nervous system and preferences for certain parts of the brain. Study results published today in the Journal of Virology are among the first to recognize how this common virus infiltrates the brain, leading to a better understanding of how HSV-1 may trigger neurological diseases.
“Recently, this common virus has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, but no clear route of central nervous system invasion has been established,” says Christy Niemeyer, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and co-first and corresponding author. “Identifying how HSV-1 can get into the brain and what brain regions are vulnerable is key in understanding how it initiates disease.”
Leave a reply