A previous study (Haley RW, Marshall WW, McDonald GG, Daugherty MA, Petty F, Fleckenstein JL: Brain abnormalities in Gulf War syndrome: evaluation with 1H MR spectroscopy. Radiology 2000; 215: 807-817) suggested that individuals with Gulf War Illness (GWI) had reduced quantities of the neuronal marker N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in the basal ganglia and pons. This study aimed to determine whether NAA is reduced in these regions and to investigate correlations with other possible causes of GWI, such as psychological response to stress in a large cohort of Gulf War veterans. Individuals underwent tests to determine their physical and psychological health and to identify veterans with (n=81) and without (n=97) GWI. When concentrations of NAA and ratios of NAA to creatine- and choline-containing metabolites were measured in the basal ganglia and pons, no significant differences were found between veterans with or without GWI, suggesting that GWI is not associated with reduced NAA in these regions. Veterans with GWI had significantly higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, supporting the idea that GWI symptoms are stress related.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3279571PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.7205/milmed-d-10-00332DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

gulf war
16
war illness
8
post-traumatic stress
8
stress disorder
8
basal ganglia
8
ganglia pons
8
veterans gwi
8
gwi
7
naa
5
relationship gulf
4

Similar Publications

: This study aimed to evaluate the location of retinal fractal dimension (FD) abnormalities in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) without retinopathy. The annular zone of 6 mm × 6 mm OCTA images centered on the fovea was partitioned into thin annuli and analyzed using fractal analysis to measure FDs. The cohort ( = 114) had an average age of 55.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Negative Association of Gulf War Illness Symptomatology with Predicted Binding Affinity of Anthrax Vaccine Antigen to Human Leukocyte (HLA) Class II Molecules.

Vaccines (Basel)

January 2025

The GWI and HLA Research Groups, Brain Sciences Center, Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN 55417, USA.

Background: Anthrax is a serious disease caused by () with a very high mortality when the spores of are inhaled (inhalational anthrax). Aerosolized spores can be used as a deadly bioweapon. Vaccination against anthrax is the only effective preventive measure and, hence, the anthrax vaccine was administered to United States (and other) troops during the 1990-91 Gulf War.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

"They Make It So Hard on You": How Rurality Shapes Veterans' Health Experiences When Managing Gulf War Illness.

J Gen Intern Med

January 2025

VA Portland Health Care System, Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, 3710 SW U.S. Veterans Hospital Road, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.

Background: Gulf War illness (GWI) is characterized by multiple, persistent symptoms (e.g., fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, concentration problems, and gastrointestinal disorders) across more than one body system that are severe enough to interfere with daily functioning.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Comparing the incidence of hypospadias across the United States: A contemporary analysis.

J Pediatr Urol

January 2025

Division of Urology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address:

Introduction: Hypospadias is a common congenital malformation occurring in up to 80 in 10,00 live male births, with emerging evidence associating exogenous environmental exposures with increased disease incidence. Military personnel are at particularly higher risk for such exposures and indeed, the rate of hypospadias in infant males born to United States military servicewomen deployed during the Gulf War has been reported to be more than 5 times greater compared to undeployed female military personnel.

Objective: To characterize contemporary trends in hypospadias incidence in the general population as well as high risk groups such as males born from US servicewomen using the National Birth Defects Prevention Network.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Head trauma from blast exposure is a growing health concern, particularly among active military personnel, and is considered the signature injury of the Gulf War. However, it remains elusive whether fundamental differences exist between blast-related Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and TBI due to other mechanisms. Considering the importance of lipid metabolism associated with neuronal membrane integrity and its compromise during TBI, we sought to find changes in lipidomic profiling during blast or blunt (Stereotaxically Controlled Contusison-SCC)-mediated TBI.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!