Military/Veterans

Military risk factors for Alzheimer's disease
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are signature injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and have been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias. A meeting hosted by the Alzheimer's Association and the Veterans' Health Research Institute (NCIRE) in May 2012 brought together experts from the U.S. military and academic medical centers around the world to discuss current evidence and hypotheses regarding the pathophysiological mechanisms linking TBI, PTSD, and AD. Weiner MW, Friedl KE, Pacifico A, Chapman JC, Jaffee MS, Little DM, Manley GT, McKee A, Petersen RC, Pitman RK, Yaffe K, Zetterberg H, Obana R, Bain LJ, Carrillo MC. Alzheimers Dement. 2013 Jul;9(4):445-51. PMID: 23809365

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patient with posttraumatic stress disorder
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased in patients with PTSD compared to the control group. Babić R, Maslov B, Babić D, Vasilj I. Psychiatr Danub. 2013 Jun;25 Suppl 1:45-50. PMID: 23806967

Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for depression: comparison among older and younger veterans
The findings suggest that ACT-D is an effective and acceptable treatment for older Veterans treated in routine clinical settings, including those with high levels of depression. Karlin BE, Walser RD, Yesavage J, Zhang A, Trockel M, Taylor CB. Aging Ment Health. 2013;17(5):555-63. Epub 2013 Apr 22. PMID: 23607328

Killing and latent classes of PTSD symptoms in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans
Killing in war may be an important indicator of risk for developing frequent and severe PTSD symptoms. This has implications for the mental healthcare of veterans, providing evidence that a comprehensive evaluation of returning veterans should include an assessment of killing experiences and reactions to killing. Maguen S, Madden E, Bosch J, Galatzer-Levy I, Knight SJ, Litz BT, Marmar CR, McCaslin SE. J Affect Disord. 2013 Mar 5;145(3):344-8. Epub 2012 Sep 7. PMID: 22959679

Association between antibodies to multiple infectious and food antigens and new onset schizophrenia among US military personnel
Certain patterns of antibodies, involving some agents, were predictive of developing schizophrenia, with the magnitude of association rising when the level of antibodies increased to two or more agents. A heightened antibody response to a combination of several infectious/food antigens might be an indicator of an altered immune response to antigenic stimuli. Li Y, Weber NS, Fisher JA, Yolken RH, Cowan DN, Larsen RA, Niebuhr DW. Schizophr Res. 2013 Oct 17. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 24139899