Role of age and neuroinflammation in the mechanism of cognitive deficits in sickle cell disease.

This study provides crucial information that could be helpful in the development of new or repurposing of existing therapies for the treatment of cognitive deficit in individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). Its impact is in demonstrating for the first time that neuroinflammation and along with abnormal neuroplasticity are among the underlying mechanism of cognitive and behavioral deficits in SCD and that drugs such as minocycline which targets these pathophysiological mechanisms could be repurposed for the treatment of this life altering complication of SCD.