Vets From First Gulf War Show Brain Differences

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Until White's group can get a larger number of study subjects and tease out these possible confounding causes, scientists shouldn't get "too excited" about the findings, he said.

"The symptoms of Gulf War illness are very common in people who have not been to the Gulf," Wessely noted. "I would be more interested in comparing Gulf [veterans] vs. civilians with the same symptoms before I jumped to any conclusions about any relation to Gulf War exposures," he said.

Clauw seconded that thought.

"Recent, similar studies have shown decreases in brain volumes in individuals in the general population with chronic pain conditions such as low back pain and fibromyalgia," he said. "Future studies need to compare the results of brain scans of Gulf War veterans with individuals with chronic pain and other symptoms who were not deployed to the Gulf War, before concluding that any changes are due to wartime exposures."

White agreed that it's still too early to draw any definite conclusions. She said the study, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, should wrap up by this fall.

"These are preliminary findings, and, with more subjects, we might learn more about which parts of the brain are more affected," she said. Still, she added, "I think this is a very important next chapter in looking at the first Gulf War."

More information

There's more on Gulf War syndrome at the University of Chicago Medical Center.