Neurotoxicological Interactions with Physical and Psychological Stressors
Abstract
Over the past deade, the U.S. DoD invested >150M to investigate undiagnosed Gulf War Illness (GWI) and more than twice that amount in clinical management and related efforts with regard to the same issues. The research produced important new understanding of post-deployment health issues and potentially hazardous occupational, materiel, and environmental exposures. Gulf War Illnesses issues also created a new awareness of important neuropsychological and neurotoxicological interactions which were not new problems, but which represented a difficult and relatively untapped frontier in biomedical research in chronic multi-symptom illnesses. Some GWI topics, such as blood-brain barrier integrity during stressful conditions and neurological effects of depleted uranium have been addressed, but others such as the neuroprotective benefits of aerobic exercise and psychosocial influences on individual stress resilience and resistance to neurotoxicity remain important areas of investigation. Current priorities for continuing investigation include: (1) practical neuropsychological test methods, (2) interactions between neurotoxic exposures and operational environments (e.G., exercise, heat, psychological stress), (3) structure-function relationships of neurotoxins with neurodegenerative disease potential, (4) objective correlates and biomarkers of neurological changes (e.G. neuroimaging with MRS), and (5) markers of individual susceptibility.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA472490
Entities
People
- Karl E. Friedl
- Stephen Grate
- Susan Proctor
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine