Gulf War illness: Effects of repeated stress and pyridostigmine treatment on blood-brain barrier permeability and cholinesterase activity in rat brain.

After the first Persian Gulf War, many soldiers have complained of a variety of symptoms designated as "Gulf War Illness". Among several factors, implication of pyridostigmine (PB) in late cognitive dysfunction is highly likely. As a hypothesis to explain these behavioural disorders is a potentiation of the operational stress effects by pyridostigmine.