Cardiovascular Stress Responses and Their Relation to Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans With Fatiguing Illness

Abstract

These results suggest a physiological basis for some Gulf War veterans' reports of severe chronic fatigue. A greater deficit with responses processed through cerebral centers, as compared with a sensory stimulus (cold pressor), suggests a defect in cortical control of cardiovascular function. More research is needed to determine the specific mechanisms through which the dissociation between behavioral and cardiovascular activities identified in this study may be contributing to symptoms in Gulf War veterans.