A 2006 image showing a healthy U.S. soldier on guard duty, protecting his base from attack in Iraq.
Credit: iStockphoto
CHICAGO: Some soldiers suffering from Gulf War syndrome have significantly smaller brain volumes than returning veterans who did not get as sick, according to a new study.
Researchers found that two areas of the brain used for thinking and memory were significantly smaller in soldiers suffering from more than five symptoms of Gulf War syndrome.
These symptoms include: joint pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, headaches, rashes, nausea and difficulty concentrating.
Chemical weapon exposure
The study involved U.S. soldiers who were exposed to chemical weapons when a munitions depot in Khamsiyah, Iraq, was blown up during the first Gulf War (1990 to 1991).
But it is not extensive enough to determine whether their brains were directly damaged as a result of the exposure, said study author Roberta White of the Boston University School of Public Health.
"There are physical differences in their central nervous system," said White. "Yes, it's a difference but whether it's causative or not, I don't know. It could be a preexisting difference or it could be a change that came about during the exposure."
White presented the data today at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston, U.S.. She said she plans to expand the study in order to see if she can prove the exposure damaged the veterans' brains.
Learning and memory
"There is a lot of evidence starting to accumulate to see there are nervous system effects of Gulf War service," she said, adding that previous studies have shown that exposure to these types of chemicals can damage the brain.
White has been studying veterans of the Gulf War since they first came home complaining of odd illnesses in 1991. This latest study examined the brain scans of 36 veterans: half reported more than five symptoms while half had five or fewer symptoms.
She found the overall cortex was an average of five per cent smaller in those with more symptoms, while the 'rostral anterior cingulate gyrus' was six per cent smaller. Those with more symptoms also performed an average of 12 to 15 per cent lower on tests of learning and memory and performance worsened as the brain volume decreased.
However, the soldiers studied were functioning despite their symptoms and did not suffer from severe neurological problems, White said. While brain damage is very difficult to reverse, identifying that the damage exists can help in tailoring treatments to help veterans manage their symptoms, she added.
VA prefers outdated MEdical Knowledge
GW vet here..My first symptoms appeared after returning from the war.After nearly 16 years of searching for reason for my declining health, I got part of the answer last year...Narcolepsy with Cataplexy.
Most recent research:
Narcolepsy- possibly cause by an autoimmune response to environmental agents which results in the destruction of hypocretin producing cells within the Brain's Hypothalamus region.
Gulf War Syndrome- possibly cause by an autoimmune response to environmental agents. Changes in Brain structures have been documented(including reduction in mass,hypothalamus included).
Yet..the VA sees no link. They also refuse to give me a fMRI which could show my Brain's damage for comparison with other GW Vets. "Narcolepsy has no confirmed link to Gulf War Syndrome nor has such a link been suggested". ...and 2+2 no longer equals 4.
Chronic Fatigue is presumed to be linked to the War, yet Narcolepsy (with it's symptomatic fatigue & Excessive Day Time Sleepiness) isn't?
The problem is that Narcolepsy is one of those diseases that doesn't completely fit into one category. It's a Sleep Disorder..but it is also an Acquired Brain Injury(sometimes even a TBI)..a Neurological disorder....an Autoimmune disorder....and, I believe part of GWI.
Getting each of those Medical Science Disciplines to look at each others research, then connect the dots is nearly impossible. Also, the comedic stereotype of the disease seems to make it taboo..as if Scientist are afraid of losing creditability if it's associated with their research or Specialties.
Yet, if you hold some of those GWI research papers next to Narcolepsy research papers, you'd swear that the subject matter was the same. Cause, Effect, Conclusion near identical.
I was recently rejected as a candidate for a "Gulf War Brain Injury fMRI Analysis" research project. Having Narcolepsy disqualified me. Like a 2nd class citizen, my Brain injury was told to sit in the back of the bus..it's not as worthy as the others. Including someone with destroyed
parts of their hypothalamus/Basal ganglia in a study on Brain Injuries?..how RIDICULOUS!
As for my on going VA health care...
..they want to treat my Neurological-Physiological-Acquired Brain injury as a psychological/mental disorder. That's one step above viewing it as "Demonic possession" and slapping leeches all over my head.
Each visit, I beg the VA Doctors to read updated literature...I've even printed out papers from leading Medical Journals and VA sponsored researchers. Yet I'm still getting a 1950's standard of care, taken out of a 1950's med school text book.
I don't have a mental illness...but they are bit by bit giving me one. Being rejected, dismissed,ignored & mislabeled while at the same time battling a Physiological condition that is destroying me, is slowly taking it's toll.
My Broken Brain sends out the signal that I am severely sleep deprived 24/7. My mind and body thinks,reacts & performs accordingly. So why am I still more AWAKE than the medical/scientific communities?
How are we to gain any understanding of GWI if all of the information needed isn't looked at as a whole?
The dots are there...don't over-think it...just connect them.
Easy Nobel Prize Anyone? Anyone?
(chirping crickets)
Vet in Ohio