[CPEO-MEF] Genetic Link Found for Pesticides, ADHD, Gulf War Syndrome

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Genetic Link Found for Pesticides, ADHD, Gulf War Syndrome

LA JOLLA, California, March 17, 2003 (ENS) - Supported by a $1.5 million
grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, research at the Salk
Institute have identified a gene that may link certain pesticides and
chemical weapons to a number of neurological disorders, including the
Gulf War syndrome and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The finding, published in the March 17 online version of "Nature
Genetics," is the first to demonstrate a clear genetic link between
neurological disorders and exposure to organophosphate chemicals.

The gene is one that scientists had not studied in previous efforts to
find connections between these chemicals and disease. Organophosphates
include household pesticides as well as deadly nerve gases like sarin.

The Gulf War syndrome is a "loosely defined collection of symptoms," the
researchers said, "ranging from headache and fever to severe
forgetfulness and movement disorders." It was first noted after
Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield in 1991, when U.S., Canadian
and British military veterans reported more symptoms than soldiers who
were not deployed. Its cause is unknown.

Dr. Carrolee Barlow, who led the work at the Salk Institute and is now
at Merck and Co., Inc., and her team, headed by Christopher Winrow,
found in mice that organophosphate exposure inhibited the activity of a
gene called neuropathy target esterase, or NTE. The gene is active in
parts of the brain controlling movement - the hippocampus, the
cerebellum and the spinal cord.

This article can be viewed at:
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2003/2003-03-17-09.asp#anchor1

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