Neurodegenerative Changes after Exposure to Gulf War Insults
Abstract
Approximately 20% of the almost 700,000 Veterans of Operation Desert Storm suffer a variety of disorders termed Gulf War illnesses. The frequency of neurological problems in this population is excessive and warrants development of a treatment to improve their health and quality of life. This proposal focuses on several key concerns for these Veterans that must be addressed. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms is essential for the identification of factors that will be useful to target for treatment. Neurological symptoms only present themselves after significant neuronal loss occurs, and it seems that these thresholds are crossed much more rapidly after Gulf War toxin exposure than, for example, during normal aging. We should be able to inhibit these degenerative processes to arrest the decline in neurological health for these Veterans. Specifically, the problems that our research will help solve include the identification of important inflammatory responses and the interacting factors important to healthy brain and spinal cord function. We will provide information about the chronic molecular changes involved in the behavioral deficits produced by the Gulf War exposure to toxins (pyridostigmine bromide, pesticides, repellants, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors). Our investigation directly examines changes in cognitive performance, connectivity between neurons in the brain, and inflammatory signaling induced by the toxic exposures and tests a therapeutic approach that will combat the multiple neurological problems that are found. Most importantly, this study will demonstrate a therapeutic strategy to arrest the Gulf War-instigated neurodegeneration.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 31, 2017
- Source ID
- W81XWH1610626
Entities
People
- Bruce A Citron
Organizations
- United States Army