Eighty-two Persian Gulf War veterans seen in clinic were referred for neuropsychological evaluation. Relatedness of neuropsychological and neurological functioning to subjective complaint, exposure, a clinical signs index, and possible interference variables was examined in a subsample of 49 who completed assessment. The subsample was representative of the entire group with respect to symptom severity. Variables representing sustained attention, grip strength, motor coordination, vibratory sense, finger-tip number writing perception, executive functioning, memory functioning, and subjective complaint were considered. Neuropsychological performance appeared to be more related to emotional functioning than demographic variables or variables associated with the war. Individual differences may be contributing to different emotional reactions to illnesses, perceptions of exposure risks and cognitive functioning, and responses to stress.

Clinical research of veterans' illnesses from the neuropsychology and medical literature are reviewed. Some studies reveal no significant findings, while others indeed detect a higher incidence of clinical and laboratory abnormalities in veterans of Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Neuropsychological deficits are negligible and more often associated with affective, than cognitive, disruption. Some explanations of the results are offered, as are recommendations regarding the utility of clinical research.