Public Health
Researchers are recruiting Gulf War Veterans for health studies – find a study near you
VA researchers are working to learn more about the health issues of concern for many Gulf War Veterans. They are looking at new ways to diagnose and treat Veterans with Gulf War illness and related conditions. They are also looking at alternative medicine and trying to better understand how Gulf War Veterans’ bodies function.
Below are examples of current research studies underway across the nation, organized by region. Participating in a research study can not only help you as a Veteran, but can also help Veterans with health issues similar to yours. Find a study near you.
Northeast
Vagus Nerve Stimulation: A Non-Invasive Treatment to Improve the Health of Gulf War Veterans with Gulf War Illness
Purpose: To determine if the use of a hand-held device that activates the vagus nerve reduces widespread pain.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans who have symptoms of Gulf War illness, including widespread pain
Recruitment Time Frame: Currently enrolling through winter 2018
Location: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) in East Orange, NJ
Contact: 1-800-248-8005
Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Gulf War Illness
Purpose: To use blood samples to study the part of the body’s cells that help produce energy (called mitochondria) to determine whether cells are damaged, how well they function, and how they correspond to symptoms.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans and Veterans who were enlisted, but not deployed, between 1989 and 1994
Recruitment Time Frame: Currently enrolling through fall 2021
Location: WRIISC in East Orange, NJ
Contact: 1-800-248-8005
Novel Interventions for Gulf War Illness
Purpose: To evaluate two holistic, non-medical, 12-week treatments for Gulf War illness.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans living in the Boston area and experiencing pain and other symptoms of Gulf War illness
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling through the end of 2019
Location: VA Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA
Contact: 857-364-6262
Southeast
Women vs. Men with Gulf War Illness: Differences in Computational Models and Therapeutic Targets
Purpose: To use microarrays, which measure the expression levels of large numbers of genes, to help better understand and identify the likely causes of Gulf War illness. This method allows researchers to study different genes that affect how the body reacts to rest and exercise and how these differences affect the immune system, endocrine system, and brain.
Recruiting: Women Veterans with Gulf War illness and women Gulf War-era, sedentary Veterans
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling and ongoing
Location: Miami VA Medical Center, Nova Southeastern University Computational Biology Lab, and University of Miami
Contact: 305-575-7000 x6130 or x6706, or email VHAMIAGWI@va.gov
Development of a Simple Blood Test for Diagnosing Gulf War Illness
Purpose: To see if/how blood lipid changes could be used to help accurately identify Veterans with Gulf War illness compared to Gulf War Veterans without this illness.
Recruiting: Gulf War-deployed Veterans
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling and ongoing
Location: Sarasota, FL
Contact: 941-256-8018 ext. 355
A Translational Medicine Approach to Gulf War Illness: From Cells to Therapy
Purpose: To assess and characterize the therapeutic effects of drugs that impact a specific list of therapeutic targets and are based on prior research.
Recruiting: Veterans with Gulf War illness and Gulf War-era healthy controls
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling and ongoing
Location: Miami VA Medical Center
Contact: 305-575-7000 x6130 or x6706 or email VHAMIAGWI@va.gov
Gender Differences in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
Purpose: To improve our understanding of ME/CFS pathogenesis in men and women.
Recruiting: Veterans and non-Veterans with and without a CFS diagnosis
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling and ongoing
Location: Miami VA Medical Center
Contact: 305-575-7000 x6130 or x6706 or email VHAMIAGWI@va.gov
Testing the Model: A Phase 1/11 Randomized Double Blind Placebo Control Trial of Targeted Therapeutics: Liposomal Glutathione and Curcumin
Purpose: Two natural supplements (curcumin and glutathione) have been shown to quiet inflammation. In this study, researchers will test to see which supplements, if any, are beneficial in Gulf War illness.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling and ongoing
Location: Miami VA Medical Center and Nova Southeastern University
Contact: 305-575-7000 x6130 or x6706 or email VHAMIAGWI@va.gov
Understanding Gulf War Illness: An Integrative Modeling Approach
Purpose: To determine if a two-phase delivery of an anti-inflammatory intervention followed by a glucocorticoid receptor blockade may help increase the possibility of remission.
Recruiting: Male Gulf War veterans with Gulf War Illness
Recruitment time frame: Current - 2021
Location: Miami, VA
Contact: 305-575-7000 x6130 or x6706, or email VHAMIAGWI@va.gov
Mid-Atlantic
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for Sleep, Heath Functioning, and Quality of Life in Veterans with Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses
Purpose: To improve pain, fatigue, and concentration through participation in Gulf War health education classes or iRest Yoga® (meditative restoration) and ear acupuncture.
Recruiting: Deployed Gulf War Veterans who live in the DC metro area
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling through 2019
Location: WRIISC in Washington, DC
Contact: 202-745-8000 ext. 55768
Texas
A Randomized Clinical Trial of Duloxetine & Pregabalin for the Treatment of Gulf War Illness in Veterans
Purpose: To find out if duloxetine and pregabalin, FDA-approved medications for treating fibromyalgia syndrome, can provide relief to Veterans who suffer from Gulf War illness.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans who live within 100 miles of Waco, TX, and who suffer from chronic pain, difficulty concentrating, unexplained fatigue, persistent headaches, and memory problems
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling through 2019
Location: Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Waco, TX
Contact: 254-297-3954 or 254-297-3950
Randomized Clinical Trial on the Effect of Resveratrol on Mood, Memory Deficits, Hippocampal Inflammation and Neurogenesis in Veterans with Gulf War Illness
Purpose: To determine if resveratrol, an over-the-counter supplement, will improve some of the symptoms of Gulf War illness.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans who live within 100 miles of Waco, TX, and who suffer from difficulty concentrating, unexplained fatigue, and memory problems
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling through September 2020
Location: Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in Waco, TX
Contact: 254-297-3954 or 254-297-3950
Mid-West
Veterans Exercise Study on Pain
Purpose: To understand brain function during pain and the impact of weight-training exercise in Gulf War Veterans with chronic muscle and joint pain.
Recruiting: Deployed Gulf War Veterans experiencing chronic, unexplained musculoskeletal pain
Recruitment Time Frame: Currently enrolling through summer 2018 with possible extension
Location: Madison VA Medical Center and University of Wisconsin-Madison
Contact: 608-262-2457
Multiple locations
Predictors of Response to Insomnia Treatments for Gulf War Veterans
Purpose: To study non-drug treatments for insomnia
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans who are experiencing sleep problems
Locations: VA Palo Alto Health Care System in Palo Alto, CA (650-849-0584), currently enrolling through 2019.
WRIISC in East Orange, NJ (1-800-248-8005), currently enrolling through winter 2021.
WRIISC in Washington, DC (202-745-8000 ext. 57553 or lucas.crock@va.gov ), currently enrolling through 2019.
Brain Immune Interactions as the Basis of Gulf War Illness: Gulf War Illness Consortium
Purpose: To better understand the causes of Gulf War illness symptoms.
Recruiting: Veterans with Gulf War illness and healthy Gulf War-era Veterans
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling and ongoing
Location: Miami VA Medical Center, Boston University, and Baylor University
Contact: 305-575-7000 x6130 or x6706, or email VHAMIAGWI@va.gov
Cognitive Rehabilitation for Gulf War Illness
Purpose: To determine if telephone-delivered, problem-solving treatment or telephone-delivered, health education is more effective in helping Veterans with Gulf War illness improve health and function and reduce disability.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans with Gulf War Illness
Recruitment Time Frame: Ongoing through summer 2018
Location: Participation includes two testing visits to either the VA in East Orange, NJ (WRIISC facility) or to the VA in Canandaigua, NY or Bedford, MA. Future telephone sessions can be completed at home. Participation is open nationwide.
Contact: 1-800-248-8005
A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Phase III Trial of Coenzyme Q10 in Gulf War Illness: CoQ10 in Gulf War
Purpose: To determine if treatment with ubiquinol, a form of coenzyme Q10, improves the physical function of men and women Veterans suffering from Gulf War illness.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling and ongoing
Location: Miami VA Medical Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, and the James J. Peters VA Medical Center
Contact: 305-575-7000 x6130 or x6706 or email VHAMIAGWI@va.gov
Pilot Test of Telephone-Delivered, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia for Veterans with Gulf War Illness
Purpose: To determine if helping Veterans with Gulf War illness sleep better will also alleviate their other Gulf War illness symptoms. This study uses cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans with insomnia and Gulf War illness
Recruitment time frame: Currently enrolling through spring 2019
Location: Participation is from home and involves telephone intervention and online assessments
Contact: 415-221-4810, x24602
WRIISC as a Model of Care for Chronic Multi-Symptom Illness
Purpose: To investigate how providers and Gulf War Veterans think and talk about Gulf War illness.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans with symptoms of Gulf War illness who have an upcoming appointment with a provider at a primary care clinic or WRIISC
Recruitment Time Frame: Currently enrolling through spring 2020
Location: WRIISC in Washington, DC, East Orange, NJ, and Palo Alto, CA
Contact: Your local WRIISC (ask about the “Communication Study")
Post –Exertional Malaise in Gulf War Illness: Brain, Automatic and Behavioral Interactions
Purpose: To use brain imaging and ultrasound techniques to examine different aspects of a Veteran’s nervous and immune systems and determine how function is affected by exercise.
Recruiting: Gulf War Veterans with and without symptoms of Gulf War illness
Recruitment Time Frame: Currently enrolling through fall 2020
Location: WRIISC in East Orange, NJ, Madison VA Medical Center, and University of Wisconsin-Madison; Veterans from northern IL, eastern MN, and northeastern IA can also participate.
Contact: 1-800-248-8005 (New Jersey) and 608-262-2457 (Wisconsin)
