ArticlePloS one2013
Increased brain white matter axial diffusivity associated with fatigue, pain and hyperalgesia in Gulf War illness.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01291758 (Exercise in Gulf War Illness), which is not on this map. Cited by 62 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Exercise in Gulf War Illness (GWI)
Who cites it
62 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 106 citations in OpenAlex.
- Meta-analysis of self-reported health symptoms in 1990-1991 Gulf War and Gulf War-era veterans.BMJ open · 2018Pooled it
- Diminished corticomotor excitability in Gulf War Illness related chronic pain symptoms; evidence from TMS study.Scientific reports · 2020Trial
- A Detoxification Intervention for Gulf War Illness: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Trial
- Connectivity differences between Gulf War Illness (GWI) phenotypes during a test of attention.PloS one · 2019Trial
- Exercise - induced changes in cerebrospinal fluid miRNAs in Gulf War Illness, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and sedentary control subjects.Scientific reports · 2017Trial
- Multi-omic analysis reveals brain-blood concordance and persistent neuroimmune reprogramming with stress and toxicant exposure in a mouse model of Gulf War Illness.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Microstructural brain changes in Buerger's disease and smokers: a case-control study using diffusion tensor imaging.BMC medical imaging · 2026Article
- Gulf War Illness: Neurological Impacts, Pathophysiological Insights, and Therapeutic Prospects.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- White matter and cortical gray matter microstructural alterations in migraine: a NODDI and DTI analysis.The journal of headache and pain · 2025Article
- Article
- Altered white matter microstructural integrity in patients with postherpetic neuralgia: a combined DTI and DTI-NODDI study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Association of deployment characteristics and exposures with persistent ill health among 1990-1991 Gulf War veterans in the VA Million Veteran Program.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2024Article
- White matter and cortical gray matter microstructural abnormalities in new daily persistent headache: a NODDI study.The journal of headache and pain · 2024Article
- White and Gray Matter Abnormality in Burning Mouth Syndrome Evaluated with Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging.Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine · 2024Article
- Longitudinal evaluation of structural brain alterations in two established mouse models of Gulf War Illness.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Article
- Genetic association between the APOE ε4 allele, toxicant exposures and Gulf war illness diagnosis.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2023Article
- Self-reported Fatigue was Associated with Increased White-matter Alterations in Long-term Traumatic Brain Injury and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Patients.Neuroscience · 2023Article
- Brain structure and connectivity in psoriasis and associations with depression and inflammation; findings from the UK biobank.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2022Article
- Impact of gulf war toxic exposures after mild traumatic brain injury.Acta neuropathologica communications · 2022Article
- Effects of the Prolong Life With Nine Turn Method (Yan Nian Jiu Zhuan) Qigong on Brain Functional Changes in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Terms of Fatigue and Quality of Life.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGulf War exposures in 1990 and 1991 have caused 25% to 30% of deployed personnel to develop a syndrome of chronic fatigue, pain, hyperalgesia, cognitive and affective dysfunction.
methodsGulf War veterans (n = 31) and sedentary veteran and civilian controls (n = 20) completed fMRI scans for diffusion tensor imaging. A combination of dolorimetry, subjective reports of pain and fatigue were correlated to white matter diffusivity properties to identify tracts associated with symptom constructs.
resultsGulf War Illness subjects had significantly correlated fatigue, pain, hyperalgesia, and increased axial diffusivity in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. ROC generated thresholds and subsequent binary regression analysis predicted CMI classification based upon axial diffusivity in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. These correlates were absent for controls in dichotomous regression analysis.
conclusionThe right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus may be a potential biomarker for Gulf War Illness. This tract links cortical regions involved in fatigue, pain, emotional and reward processing, and the right ventral attention network in cognition. The axonal neuropathological mechanism(s) explaining increased axial diffusivity may account for the most prominent symptoms of Gulf War Illness.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.