Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy of the Human Brain in Gulf War Illness

The goal of this project is to test the hypotheses that:

  1. Subjects with GWI have reduced NAA in the basal ganglia and pons, which are not accounted for by confounds such as depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and alcoholism.
  2. Reduced NAA in basal ganglia and pons correlates with CNS signs and symptoms of GWI.

 

Thus far we have mailed out a total of 505 letters describing our study. Dr Weiner appeared on several radio and TV programs, in response to our press release.  Over 262 subjects have contacted us expressing interest in this study. Since we began enrolling subjects, we have largely met our goals of studying 2 subjects/week with the complete study battery which includes medical evaluation, neuropsychological testing, startle testing, MRI/MRS and the "Haley Questionnaire." Thus far, we have studied a total of 84 subjects. At this time, 22 of these subjects have met the criteria for GWI and 26 are controls, with 36 having an intermediate classification. We currently have 5 subjects scheduled for study for the remainder of the month.