Frank J. Jenkins¹ and Sharon L. Turner²

¹ Department of Pathology, School of Medicine; 1Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, School of Public Health;
^1,2 Division of Behavioral Medicine and Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute;
^1,2 Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA

Received 08/02/96; Accepted 08/08/96; On-line 09/01/96

1. ABSTRACT

Herpes viruses have received a great deal of attention due to their widespread and ubiquitous prevalence in the human population and to the diverse range of diseases caused as a result of an infection. During the last 20 - 25 years, many research laboratories have investigated the pathogenesis and molecular biology of these viruses; particularly herpes simplex virus (HSV). As a result of this research, HSV has begun to get the attention of neuroscientists. In fact, in the last few years there has been an explosion of research involving the use of HSV and related viruses as tools or model systems for different areas of neuroscience research. This brief review will describe several of these areas including demyelinating diseases, neuronal tracings, and genetic therapy.