Amphetamines may help improve alertness and memory. Two common brain conditions in people with AIDS are lymphoma and infection with toxoplasma. They cause symptoms of headaches, seizures, and lethargy. Toxoplasma is a one-celled parasite found in cat feces and raw meat. It causes patches of tissue death in the brain.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph tissue that can occur in the lymph tissue in the brain.
Telling the two diseases apart requires a brain scan and blood tests. Sometimes a brain biopsy is needed. Persons with AIDS may also get meningitis, an infection of the covering on the brain. There are many causes for this, including infection with fungi, bacteria, viruses, and the AIDS virus itself. Sometimes the infection spreads to the brain tissue.