Summary: In June 2016, Jack Fanous of VetsNow Radio stopped by Kessler Foundation and talked with foundation staff members Glenn Wylie, DPhil, Associate Director of Neuroscience and Justin Stanley, Research Recruitment Specialist about our ongoing Gulf War Illness Research. Listen in on the various topics discussed for the radio show. Subject Recruitment and how it relates to the foundation's research (0:00 - 9:30) Justin Stanley explains how the research we do is directly translated to helping people receive better quality of care. Understanding Gulf War Illness (9:30-13:27) Here Dr. Wylie talks about GWI in a general sense. Tackling the Problem- Kessler’s Research Approach (13:27-17:04) Dr. Wylie gets more into the issue of fatigue and discusses his research methodology. Implications for Veterans’ Health Issues (17:04-20:22) Dr. Wylie talks about how data-driven research can help with advocacy. Jack expands on these issues in terms of overall veterans’ health issues. How and Why Veterans Should Get Involved (20:22-25:03) Dr. Wylie discusses why we need veterans with and without GWI and what’s involved. ======================================================== Kessler Foundation is currently recruiting Gulf War veterans for a study, "Examination of Cognitive Fatigue in Gulf War Illness Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging". It is estimated that 25% of all Gulf War veterans have Gulf War Illness (GWI), with fatigue being a primary symptom. The importance of gaining a better understanding of fatigue is illustrated by the fact that a primary complaint of those reporting chronic fatigue is that their fatigue is worsened by the physical and cognitive demands of daily life resulting in a significant number of military personnel that are no longer able to perform their duties. It is precisely this fatigue that is exacerbated by mental and physical demands of the day— cognitive fatigue— that has remained understudied, and that is the focus of our study. The objective of this study is to establish the network of brain areas underlying cognitive fatigue in persons with GWI. This will be done by looking at cognitive fatigue as a trait of GWI, and by looking at cognitive fatigue as a state that individuals with GWI are more prone to than healthy veteran controls. For more information, visit our website (https://kesslerfoundation.org/content/volunteers-needed-gulf-war-illness-study) or Samantha Schmidt at Kessler Foundation, 973-243-6812, or researchstudies@KesslerFoundation.org. ========================================================
