In Ballester et al. (2012), a potential role for α7-nAChR in HAND was established, as the HIV-1 coat protein gp120IIIB was shown to induce a functional upregulation of α7-nAChRs promoting an increase in Ca2+ entry that resulted in neuronal cell death (Fig. 2). This evidence concerns the gene CHRNA7 and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder.