The Department of Veterans Affairs Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Biorepository: Supporting Research on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses.

Christopher B Brady,Sean Walker,Latease Adams,Neil W Kowall,Ann C Mckee,Stephen P Thomson,Ian Robey,Thor D Stein,Nazifa Abdul Rauf,Bertrand R Huber,Keith R Spencer,Gabriel Walt,James G Averill,Jessica Riley

doi:10.3390/brainsci11101349

Abstract

Aims: To introduce a resource supporting research on Gulf War illness (GWI) and related disorders, the Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Biorepository (GWVIB). Methods: Gulf War era veterans (GWVs) are recruited nationally and enrolled via telephone and email/postal mail. Enrolled veterans receive annual telephone and mail follow-up to collect health data until their passing. A postmortem neuropathological examination is performed, and fixed and frozen brain and spinal cord samples are banked to support research. Investigators studying GWI and related disorders may request tissue and data from the GWVIB. Results: As of September 2021, 127 GWVs from 39 states were enrolled; 60 met the criteria for GWI, and 14 met the criteria for chronic multisymptom illness (CMI). Enrollees have been followed up to six years. Postmortem tissue recoveries were performed on 14 GWVs. The most commonly found neuropathologies included amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and Lewy body disease. Tissue was of good quality with an average RNA integrity number of 5.8 (SD = 1.0) and ≥4.8 in all of the cases. Discussion: The availability of health data and high-quality CNS tissue from this well-characterized GWV cohort will support research on GWI and related disorders affecting GWVs. Enrollment is ongoing.

Highlights

About one-third of the nearly 700,000 men and women who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the 1990–1991 Gulf War (GW) have experienced chronic multisystem illnesses (CMI), collectively known as Gulf War illness (GWI) [1]
The potential causes of GWI/CMI and related disorders continue to be examined 30 years after GW veterans (GWVs) returned from the Gulf
Environmental and other exposures during Gulf War deployment may be related to central nervous system (CNS) changes seen in GWVs, and these CNS changes may play a role in the development of GWI/CMI and related disorders

Summary

Introduction

About one-third of the nearly 700,000 men and women who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the 1990–1991 Gulf War (GW) have experienced chronic multisystem illnesses (CMI), collectively known as Gulf War illness (GWI) [1]. Prevalent complaints are central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction, musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, respiratory symptoms, gastrointestinal issues, immunological dysfunction, and skin problems. Specific patterns of medical/cognitive symptoms have been characterized to be associated with GWI and CMI [2,3,4], and these symptoms have been consistently reported in US, UK, and Australian GW veterans (GWVs) [5] and persist 30 years after their return from the Gulf [6,7]. Central nervous symptom disorders are prevalent in GWVs, with elevated rates of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), stroke, migraine headaches, neuralgia/neuritis, and brain cancer [8,9,10]. Gulf War veterans exhibit neurobehavioral deficits, such as memory problems, frontal system dysfunction, slowed motor and processing speeds, sustained attention deficits, reduced visuospatial skills and psychomotor dysfunction [8,16,17]

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