VA Biorepository Brain Bank News

study results from the preponderance of males in a Veteran population. Racially, the Veterans enrolled in this study are not as diverse as might be expected since African-Americans as well as other racial groups are far more represented in the military than appear in this group. However, the racial composition of the Veterans who participated in this study closely reflects the racial composition of those who enrolled in the VA’s ALS Registry, our referral source. The age at ALS diagnosis of members of this group is slightly older than the age at diagnosis for persons with ALS in the general population. The VA Biorepository Brain Bank (VABBB) ALS study was established at the VA Boston Healthcare System to promote and support research in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) by collecting brain and spinal cord tissues essential in ALS research. Donors of these tissues are Veterans with ALS or its closely related disorder, Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS), who generously volunteered to donate their neurologic organs after death. In this brief newsletter, we would like to describe the major events that have taken place in the past several years. Veterans with ALS who were interested in participating in ALS research were originally referred to us by the VA’s ALS Registry at the Durham VA Medical Center. Although the Registry is now closed, we have continued to enroll interested Veterans who have ALS or closely related neurologic disorders, and have maintained contact with approximately 240 Veterans. In addition to the Veterans referred to us by the Registry, we have also enrolled other Veterans who contacted us on their own after learning of the VABBB. Study participants come from 47 states including Alaska and Hawaii. Idaho, Delaware and Rhode Island are the only states as yet unrepresented. The Veterans in our study include women as well as men, and differ in terms of race, age and time since onset of ALS. We have re-contacted study participants every six months and have obtained information on current symptoms and health status. A table summarizing the characteristics of the Veterans in our study is below. As might be expected in a study of Veterans, males outnumber females by about 20 to 1. While it is true that ALS is more common among males, the large Current Status of VA Biorepository Brain Bank ALS Study Volume 1, Issue 1— April, 2012 VA Biorepository Brain Bank News