Table 4. Meta-analysis of Group A studies: Neurocognitive performance for deployed Gulf War veterans compared to non-deployed Gulf-era veterans.
| Domains/Individual Tests | # of Studies Analyzed | Model Type | Standardized Mean Difference | Wald 95% CI | Wald p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visuospatial | |||||
| Block Design2 | 4 | random | -1.39 | -2.45, -0.33 | 0.01 |
| Executive Function | |||||
| Digit Span–Backward2 | 3 | fixed | -0.17 | -0.25, -0.09 | <0.001 |
| Trail-making Test, part B1,2 | 5 | random | 0.36 | 0.20, 0.51 | <0.001 |
| Attention | |||||
| Trail-making Test, part A1,2 | 5 | random | 0.10 | 0.03, 0.18 | 0.008 |
| Digit Span–Forward3 | 3 | random | -0.07 | -0.14, 0.01 | 0.10 |
| Learning and Memory | |||||
| CVLT Trials 1–5 | 4 | random | -0.09 | -0.17, -0.02 | 0.02 |
| CVLT Short Delay | 4 | random | -0.21 | -0.43, 0.01 | 0.07 |
| CVLT Long Delay | 4 | random | -0.12 | -0.26, 0.02 | 0.10 |
| CVLT Recognition3 | 3 | random | -0.21 | -0.29, -0.13 | <0.001 |
| WMS4 Immediate Recall3 | 3 | fixed | -0.15 | -0.33, 0.02 | 0.08 |
| WMS4 Delayed Recall | 3 | random | -0.20 | -0.50, -0.10 | 0.20 |
| Motor | |||||
| Finger Tapping–Dominant | 4 | fixed | -0.03 | -0.11, 0.04 | 0.38 |
| Finger Tapping–Non-Dominant | 4 | random | -0.05 | -0.12, 0.03 | 0.24 |
| Grooved Pegboard–Dominant1 | 3 | random | 0.10 | -0.55, 0.76 | 0.75 |
1 positive SMD represents worse performance
2 remains statistically significant in bias assessment
3 no longer statistically significant in bias assessment
4 WMS, Logical Memory