Mechanisms of Mitochondrial Defects in Gulf War Syndrome

Gulf War Veterans who have been diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome

Inclusion Criteria:

• Short-term memory loss or a severe inability to concentrate that affects work, school or other normal activities
• Muscle Pain, myalgias
• Pain without redness or swelling in a number of joints
• Intense or changing patterns of headaches
• Unrefreshing sleep
• After any exertion, weariness that lasts for more than a day

Exclusion Criteria:

• Organ failure (e.g. emphysema, cirrhosis, cardiac failure, chronic renal failure)
• Chronic infections (e.g. HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B or C)
• Rheumatic and chronic inflammatory diseases (e.g. systemic lupus erythematosis, Sjogren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pancreatitis.)
• Major neurologic diseases (e.g. multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy or other disease requiring ongoing medication that could cause fatigue, stroke, head injury with residual neurologic deficits)
• Diseases requiring systemic treatment (e.g. organ or bone marrow transplantation; systemic chemotherapy; radiation of brain, thorax, abdomen, or pelvis)
• Major endocrine diseases (e.g. hypopituitarism, adrenal insufficiency)
• Myocardial infarction, heart failure
• Morbid obesity (body mass index >40)
• Permanent psychiatric exclusions: Lifetime diagnoses of bipolar affective disorders, schizophrenia or any subtype, delusional disorders of any subtype, dementias of any subtype, organic brain disorders, and alcohol or substance abuse within 2 years before onset of the fatiguing illness.
• History of allergic reaction to lidocaine
• History of keloid formation with skin incisions.