Nearly 25% of #veterans who served in the first Persian Gulf War have been diagnosed with Gulf War Illness (#GWI), which is characterized by a range of symptoms including fatigue, headache, joint pain, and memory problems. Scientists at the UT Southwestern Medical Center and the University of Texas at Dallas have identified a consistent pattern of brain changes in GWI sufferers that have been linked to memory problems. A new study in Clinical Psychological Science used #fMRI to watch activity in the brains of GWI sufferers while they completed a #memory task. Veterans with GWI performed worse than healthy veterans, and the fMRI scans revealed deficits in prefrontal cortex activity. These results, along with other recent studies, demonstrate the reality of #GulfWarIllness, which has been linked to exposure to neurotoxic chemicals during combat. The researchers hope to use these findings to develop cognitive treatments to improve memory functioning in affected veterans.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 06:10:17 +0000
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