Pyridostigmine Bromide, the Enteric Nervous System, and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Gulf War Illness

Abstract

Gulf War illness (GWI) is a chronic, multi-symptom disorder with no treatment. Exposure to anti-cholinergic drugs such as pyridostigmine bromide (PB) contributed to the development of GWI, but the mechanisms that connect the acute effects of PB with chronic dysfunction in multiple systems remain unclear. Gastrointestinal problems are frequent and debilitating chronic symptoms experienced by Gulf War veterans. The overall objective of this proposal is to understand how PB contributes to the development of functional gastrointestinal disorders in Gulf War illness. Given that the enteric nervous system (ENS) regulates gut functions, we hypothesize that that PB disrupts gut functions by creating persistent neuroinflammation within the ENS. The major activities in this reporting period include in vivo and in vitro studies to understand the acute effects of PB on the ENS, the neural control of gut functions, and the inflammatory response within the gut.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2017
Accession Number
AD1046405

Entities

People

  • Brian D Gulbransen

Organizations

  • Michigan State University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Autonomic Nervous System
  • Biomedical Research
  • Body Weight
  • Brain
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Drinking Water
  • Dyes
  • Enteric Nervous System
  • Medical Personnel
  • Nervous System
  • Neurochemical Coding
  • Neuroglia
  • Peripheral Nervous System
  • Persian Gulf Syndrome
  • Professional Development
  • Pyridostigmine Bromide
  • Universities

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Gulf War Illness and Chronic Multisymptom Illness in Veterans.