DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS
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Exploring Mechanisms Underlying Impaired Brain Function in Gulf War Illness through Advanced Network Analysis

Principal Investigator: GOPINATH, KAUNDINYA
Institution Receiving Award: EMORY UNIVERSITY
Program: GWIRP
Proposal Number: GW150078
Award Number: W81XWH-16-1-0744
Funding Mechanism: Investigator-Initiated Research Award
Partnering Awards:
Award Amount: $505,629.06
Period of Performance: 9/30/2016 - 9/29/2018


PUBLIC ABSTRACT

An estimated 25% to 32% of 1991 Gulf War Veterans experience multi-symptom conditions not explained by stress or psychiatric illness. Neurological symptoms that indicate brain impairments among ill GW Veterans include deficits in cognitive (working, semantic, and association memory, word generation, attention and executive function), emotion (depression, anxiety and personality change), and sensory and pain (altered sensory thresholds, central pain, chemical and sensory hypersensitivity in central nervous system) domains. All these brain functions involve specific networks of regions across the brain. In this application, we are proposing to comprehensively map the integrity of brain networks implicated by symptoms and behavioral assessments of GWI, in ill GW Veterans, and healthy controls. All the brain function networks in ill GW Veterans that exhibit impaired integrity will yield brain mechanisms underlying GWI. These mechanisms in turn will inform therapeutic strategies for GWI.

(1) What types of patients will it help and how will it help them? This project will help GWI Veterans with multiple neurological and psychiatric symptoms by helping establish brain function mechanisms that underlie GWI. This will help in developing mechanistic treatments and cures for GWI.

(2) What are the potential clinical applications, benefits, and risks? The project will establish brain mechanisms driven frameworks in which to seek for cures of GWI. There are no risks associated with this study.

(3) What is the projected time it may take to achieve a patient-related outcome? In principle, a patient related outcome in terms of elucidation of brain mechanisms that underlie GWI will be available at the end of the project (2 years). The results from this project will help inform potential therapies for GWI.

(4) What are the likely contributions of this study in advancing the field of GWI research? This study will establish specific mechanisms that underlie GWI in terms of different brain networks that are impaired in GWI. This study will advance the field of GWI research by helping focus functional targets for brain rehabilitation therapies and treatments.