Focus & Scope

Maternally Inherited Huntington Disease and Paternally Inherited Neurofibromatosis Type-1 In an Individual- A Rare Co-Occurrence

Ashutosh Gupta¹*, Suman Kushwaha²

¹Department of Neurology, Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences, Delhi, India

Scientific Evaluation of EMDR Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Psychological Trauma Summary: Scientific evaluation of EMDR psychotherapy

F. Haour¹*, E. Dobbelaere^1,2, C. de Beaurepaire³

¹EMDR France Association, 9 rue Papillon, 75009 Paris, France

²Université Paris 5, 75006 Paris, France

³EPS of Maison-Blanche, 6-10, Pierre-Bayle Street, 75020 Paris, France

Gulf War Illness and Inflammation: Association of symptom severity with C-reactive protein

Lisa M. James^1,2,3, Brian E. Engdahl^1,2,4, Rachel A. Johnson¹, Apostolos P. Georgopoulos^1,2,3,4,5*

¹Brain Sciences Center, Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, 5541, USA

²Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

³Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

⁴Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

⁵Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic multi-system condition that has affected one-third of U.S. veterans who served in the Persian Gulf. Although GWI etiology remains unclear, mounting evidence points to immune system involvement and inflammation, in particular, as underlying the host of symptoms associated with the condition. Here we investigated the association between GWI symptoms and C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, in 76 veterans with GWI. Results indicated a highly significant positive association between CRP and mean GWI symptom severity. At the symptom domain level, CRP was significantly and positively associated with Pain, Neurocognitive/Mood, Fatigue, and Respiratory symptom severity but not with Skin or Gastrointestinal symptom severity. These results support the premise that GWI symptoms, particularly those implicating brain involvement, are a result of neuroinflammation. The cause for inflammation is not known. We have hypothesized that at the root of GWI are harmful persistent antigens stemming from environmental exposures associated with service during the Gulf War that could not be successfully eliminated due to lack of specific immunity^1,2. Work is underway in our laboratory to identify and eliminate persistent antigens in veterans with GWI which we anticipate will result in reduced inflammation and reduced GWI symptoms.

"Commentary: Alcohol Consumption Impairs the Ependymal Cilia Motility in the Brain Ventricles"

Hannah C. Saternos¹ and Wissam A. AbouAlaiwi¹*

¹University of Toledo, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Toledo, Ohio, USA