Since 1994 the Division has been performing research on the nature, causes and pathophysiologic mechanisms of Gulf War syndrome, a neurologic condition that affects tens of thousands of veterans of the 1991 Gulf War.
This research has led to a quantitative description and definition of a new illness, epidemiologic links with low-level sarin nerve agent and other environmental exposures in the war, definition of a genetic predisposition from deficiency of paraoxonase and cholinesterase enzymes in the blood, and association with brain cell damage in deep brain structures underlying the symptoms.
In response to concerns of an excess incidence of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, by Gulf War veterans who developed the disease, the Division has performed an epidemiologic investigation to determine whether the number of ALS cases in young Gulf War veterans has exceeded the expected number.
To further research on brain involvement in Gulf War-related illnesses and related conditions, the Division has established a Neuroimaging Research Center and is conducting a nationwide survey of Gulf War-era veterans.
Dr. Haley serves on the VA Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses which advises the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on directions for research on this problem.
