Duke study suggests Gulf War vets sickened by preventatives

[Guest guest]

OK, I found the article that was in our paper today. As usual, we're always

behind the times. This certainly confirms what many of us have reported in

regards to stress and chemical exposures and onset of PLS.

Regards, Sue Ellen

Duke study suggests Gulf War vets sickened by preventatives

By Carolyn Susman, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Duke University Medical Center supports a Harvard study demonstrating that

soldiers have a higher-than-usual risk of dying from Lou Gehrig's disease

(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS).

Pharmacologist Mohamed Abou Donia of Duke says soldiers who suffer from symptoms

of Lou Gehrig's disease were likely exposed to a combination of chemicals,

including insecticides, that damage the brain and nervous system in the same

manner as Lou Gehrig's disease does.

Three Duke studies published during the past three years show that a combination

of chemicals given to protect Gulf War soldiers against pests and nerve gas

created brain changes in animals that are consistent with Lou Gehrig's disease.

The chemicals include the insect repellent DEET, the insecticide permethrin, and

the anti-nerve gas agent pyridostigmine bromide.

In each study, animals were exposed to low-doses of the three chemicals for

periods up to 60 days. The researchers found large numbers of dead neurons in

brain regions that control muscle strength and movement (cortex); balance and

coordination (cerebellum); and memory, cognition and mood (hippocampus).

Another study demonstrated severe damage to the cingulate cortex, the dentate

gyrus, the thalamus and the hypothalamus.

A third Duke study showed chemicals plus stress increased the permeability of

the blood-brain barrier, allowing substances that would normally be blocked to

enter the brain.

The combination of stress plus the chemicals caused greater damage to the brain

in a shorter span of time than did chemicals alone. Stress plus chemicals also

caused major alterations to brain chemicals that are necessary for learning and

memory, as well as muscle strength and body movement.