How common HIV integrase drugs affect mood and brain health

Examining the neuropsychiatric effects of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors

NIH-funded research Meharry Medical College · NIH-11367941

This work explores whether HIV integrase drugs cause mood and brain changes in people living with HIV.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionMeharry Medical College NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Nashville, United States)
Project IDNIH-11367941 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you have HIV and take integrase inhibitor drugs, this project will look for links between those medicines and mood or brain symptoms. Researchers will examine reports from patients, analyze clinical data and samples, and use lab studies to explore how these drugs might change brain chemistry such as glutamate and calcium signaling. The team will compare different integrase drugs (for example dolutegravir, bictegravir, raltegravir) to see which ones are more likely to be tied to neuropsychiatric effects. Findings may guide safer drug choices and strategies to prevent or treat these side effects.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal participants are people living with HIV who are taking or switching to integrase inhibitor drugs, especially those who have noticed mood, sleep, or neurological changes.

Not a fit: People without HIV or people with HIV who are not taking integrase inhibitors (or whose symptoms are clearly due to another cause) are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors pick HIV medicines that cause fewer mood or cognitive side effects and lead to ways to prevent or treat those effects.

How similar studies have performed: Clinical reports have recently linked integrase inhibitors to neuropsychiatric symptoms, but the biological mechanisms remain largely unproven and are the focus of this work.

Where this research is happening

Nashville, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome VirusAcquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.