The American Academy of Neurology will hold its 59th annual meeting in Boston from April 28 to March 5. One of the more pressing topics that will be presented is the recent study saying how wars affect soldiers' and veterans' brain structure.

Accordingly, the change in brain structure is somehow related to multiple health symptoms. The study employed 36 veterans of the first Gulf War (1990-1991). Half of this population showed multiple problems such as joint pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, headaches, skin rash, nausea, and difficulty in concentrating. The other half had a lower number of symptoms.

The study found out that those veterans with more health problems had a significantly smaller (5%) cortex compared to those with lesser symptoms. The two areas of the brain connected to thinking and memory were also smaller. Even the rostral anterior cingulated gyrus was 6% smaller as well.

Authored by Boston University School of Public Health Dr. Roberta White, the study also revealed that those with smaller brain volume performed worse on learning and memory tests. White commented,

We don't know the cause of these differences in the veterans' brain volumes, but the hypothesis is that they are related to exposure to hazardous substances during the first Gulf War. Many troops were exposed to hazardous substances such as pesticides, and other studies have shown that exposures to these substances affect the central nervous system.