The Catalyst Issue 18 | April 2014 | Page 23

The brain, like a computer, has “hardwire” connected by fibers (light blue). Drs. Little and Steele use magnetic resonance imaging to see and measure the effects of brain injury and neurotoxic exposure to these fibers. Institutes of Mental Health-funded Firefighter Risk and Resilience Study to understand the effects of exposure to potentially traumatic stress and why some first responders develop PTSD, substance abuse, or other symptoms. Dr. Gulliver has particular interest in how the profile of career firefighters, who are continually exposed to stress for decades, may differ from military personnel who serve tours of duty in a theater of war. Her team recently completed a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-funded study of effective ways first responders can intervene when they see a colleague struggling with behavioral health issues. Currently, her Firefighter Research Team receives funding from FEMA to develop support interventions in relation to firefighter suicides that will assist colleagues, family, and friends of firefighters who’ve taken their lives. Thus, Dr. Gulliver’s work encompasses assessment and treatment outcome research. DR. STEELE is Research Professor and Director of the Veterans Health Research Program in the Institute of Biomedical Studies at Baylor University. Dr. Steele is examining the effects of Gulf War Illness and in 2013 testified to a United States House Sub-committee on Oversight and Investigation on Gulf War veterans’ care. Gulf War Illness is recognized as the result of chemical exposures during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, not combat stress. Its symptoms include chronic headaches, widespread pain, memory and concentration problems, as well as other abnormalities. She leads several federally funded studies of Gulf War Illness to ultimately create a diagnostic test for the condition and identify more effective treatment options. Dr. Steele is comparing blood samples of veterans who have and have not been diagnosed with Gulf War Illness, looking at immune and endocrine differences, and evaluating neuroimaging (brain) scans. Another study profiles Gulf War Illness symptoms and additional medical diagnoses, such as multiple sclerosis or cancer, to ascertain if veterans have increased rates of disease. It has been documented that they have higher rates of Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) and that veterans exposed to low levels of chemical nerve agents during the 1991 Gulf War have died from brain