This research project is a follow-up to the prior VA-funded study that found that chronic
fatigue reported by many Gulf War veterans may be a symptom of dysfunctional cardiovascular
stress response regulation. Specifically, ill veterans had diminished autonomic responses
during demanding psychosocial tasks involving high level cognitive processing and emotional
stress. There was a close relationship between clinical status of ill veterans and their
inability to mount an appropriate physiological response under stress. The main objective of
the present investigation is to determine the specific mechanism through which this
abnormality may contribute to Gulf War-related chronic fatigue. We also observed that Gulf
veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had the most dampened autonomic activation
to stressors involving higher brain activities. The second major focus of this study is to
explore the role of a psychiatric disorder, specifically PTSD, as a factor in abnormalities
in stress response regulation. This aspect of the study may also provide pertinent
information as to the role of stress of military deployment as a contributing factor in
post-Gulf War illnesses.
Phase:
N/A
Details
Lead Sponsor:
US Department of Veterans Affairs VA Office of Research and Development