Christova Peka, James Lisa M, Carpenter Adam F, Lewis Scott M, Johnson Rachel A, Engdahl Brian E, Georgopoulos Apostolos P
Brain Sciences Center, Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, 55417, USA.
Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
J Neurol Neuromedicine. 2020 Aug 11;5(3):6-15. doi: 10.29245/2572.942x/2020/3.1272.
Memory and mood impairments are among the most commonly reported symptoms in veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI), suggesting hippocampal involvement. Several studies have also documented evidence of inflammation in GWI. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, and hippocampal volume and microstructural alterations of its major output, the fornix. Sixty-three veterans with GWI provided blood samples for evaluation of CRP and underwent a 3T magnetic resonance imaging scan from which hippocampal volume and fornix fractional anisotropy (FA) were obtained. Results demonstrated that CRP was significantly and negatively associated with hippocampal volume and fornix FA in GWI. Given the known closely interwoven associations between inflammation and neurodegeneration, it is possible that the effects we observed could be due to neurodegeneration, secondary to chronic neuroinflammation. Finally, given the known association of hippocampus to memory and mood disorders, our findings provide new insights into memory and mood alterations associated with GWI.
记忆和情绪障碍是海湾战争综合症（GWI）退伍军人中最常报告的症状之一，提示海马体受累。多项研究也记录了GWI中存在炎症的证据。本研究的目的是评估炎症标志物C反应蛋白（CRP）与海马体体积及其主要输出结构穹窿的微观结构改变之间的关联。63名患有GWI的退伍军人提供了血液样本以评估CRP，并接受了3T磁共振成像扫描，从中获得了海马体体积和穹窿分数各向异性（FA）。结果表明，在GWI中，CRP与海马体体积和穹窿FA显著负相关。鉴于炎症与神经退行性变之间已知的紧密交织的关联，我们观察到的效应可能是由于慢性神经炎症继发的神经退行性变所致。最后，鉴于海马体与记忆和情绪障碍之间的已知关联，我们的发现为与GWI相关的记忆和情绪改变提供了新的见解。
