Identifying blood biomarkers for Gulf War Illness

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This study aims to identify blood lipids and metabolites that correlate with cognitive decline in veterans suffering from Gulf War Illness (GWI), particularly focusing on those with the APOE ε4 allele. It investigates how dietary, medical, and biological factors influence these blood components and their relationship to brain dysfunction. The research will validate blood biomarker signatures associated with GWI by examining lipid profiles and their connection to neuroinflammation and bioenergetic deficits. The study involves both veterans with GWI and control veterans to establish a comprehensive understanding of the condition.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age 35 years or older.
2. For GWI cases, served in the 1990-1991 Gulf War as active duty, national guard, or reserves and meet criteria for the CDC Chronic Multisymptom Illness (CMI) GWI definition or Kansas GWI definition.
3. For controls, must be a veteran in the same age range as those veterans with GWI as defined above.
4. Ability to understand written and spoken English or availability of a legal representative who can understand written or spoken English. Participants and caregiver/informants must be able to read, write and speak the language in which psychometric tests are provided with visual and auditory acuity (corrected) sufficient to allow for accurate testing.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Diagnosed or being treated by a physician for any of the following (Steele et al, 2000) and deemed clinically significant per the discretion of the PI:

   1. Cancer (except for non-melanoma skin cancers)
   2. Chronic infectious disease
   3. Problems resulting from postwar injuries.
   4. Liver disease
   5. Lupus
   6. Multiple sclerosis
   7. Stroke
   8. Serious psychiatric condition (those associated with psychosis and/or for which the respondent had been hospitalized since 1991).
   9. Dementia or any type of Parkinson's disease (PD).
2. Hospitalized in the last 5 years for alcohol or drug dependence, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
3. Female subject is either pregnant or nursing.

Where it's running

• Palto Alto Veterans Institute for Research
  Palo Alto, California, United States Recruiting
• The Roskamp Institute
  Sarasota, Florida, United States Recruiting
• Boston University
  Boston, Massachusetts, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Laila Abdullah, Ph.D. — The Roskamp Institute
• Study coordinator: Dakota Helgager, B.S
• Email: dhelgager@roskampclinic.org
• Phone: (941) - 256 - 8019

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

• Using machine learning to guide rTMS for Gulf War Illness–related headaches and body pain

  This trial will try using a machine learning model on resting brain scans to predict which active rTMS treatment will best reduce headaches and body pain in veterans with Gulf War Illness.

  Recruiting Veterans Medical Research Foundation · San Diego, California · NCT07325513

• Cranial electrical stimulation with brain imaging for Gulf War illness headaches and pain

  This project will try a portable cranial electrical stimulation device (Alpha-Stim) to see if it reduces headaches and body pain in Gulf War veterans with Gulf War Illness.

  Recruiting Emory University · Atlanta, Georgia · NCT07151248

• Acupuncture for relieving symptoms of Gulf War Illness

  This trial will test whether regular acupuncture can help veterans with Gulf War Illness feel less fatigued, have less pain, and improve physical functioning.

  Recruiting at 3 sites University of Utah · Berkeley, California and 9 other locations · NCT06716411

• Using Coenzyme Q10 to help veterans with Gulf War illness

  This study is testing if a special form of coenzyme Q10 can help veterans with Gulf War illness feel better and improve their quality of life.

  Recruiting Phase 3 University of California, San Diego · La Jolla, California · NCT06515184

• Montelukast for cognitive and mood symptoms in Gulf War veterans

  This trial tests whether montelukast, an FDA-approved asthma medicine, can improve thinking, mood, and daily function in veterans with Gulf War Illness.

  Recruiting Phase 1 Baylor College of Medicine · Houston, Texas · NCT05992311

• Exploring treatments for Gulf War Illness-related gastrointestinal symptoms

  This study is testing if taking glutamine can help veterans with Gulf War Illness feel better by easing their stomach problems like pain and diarrhea.

  Recruiting VA Office of Research and Development · Memphis, Tennessee · NCT05972291

How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.