Gulf War Illness Rat Model

Kudos carries a simple explanation of our Gulf War Illness work in light of recent Sarin gas attack on Syrians. Gulf War Illness refers to chronic health issues that affects 30% of United States soldiers deployed during the First Gulf War (1990-1991). Exposure to organophosphate chemicals (pesticides and nerve gas sarin) is thought to be responsible for this condition. In this paper, we have developed a rat model of Gulf War Illness. By mimicking organophosphate exposure, we show that these rats exhibit brain damage and chronic behavioral problems of depression, anxiety, and memory difficulties similar to First Gulf War Veterans.