Does neuroticism influence cognitive self-assessment after epilepsy surgery?
OBJECTIVE
To examine how cognitive, personality, and seizure outcome variables influence the subjective cognitive functioning of patients with refractory temporal lobe seizures after epilepsy surgery.


METHODS
Thirty-three consecutive patients with drug-resistant partial epilepsy who underwent surgical treatment at a tertiary referral university epilepsy center were tested before surgery and 1 year after surgery. Objective cognitive and subjective cognitive functioning tests were used, and personality was assessed. Seizure control was operationalized as a dichotomous variable.


RESULTS
A significant inverse relationship was found between neuroticism and subjective cognitive functioning. None of the other pre- and postoperative cognitive and surgery outcome variables were significant predictors of subjective cognitive functioning, even after controlling for the effect of neuroticism.


CONCLUSIONS
Subjective and objective memory functioning are independent in patients with epilepsy after surgical treatment. Subjective memory functioning appears to be related not to seizure relief but to neuroticism. These data suggest that psychological factors such as personality traits predisposing to emotional distress should be taken into consideration in the clinical management and counseling of patients undergoing epilepsy surgery.
Cañizares
S
S
Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology of the University of Barcelona, Spain.
Torres
X
X
Boget
T
T
Rumià
J
J
Elices
E
E
Arroyo
S
S
D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010551:Personality / Q000145:classification*; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000601:surgery*; D014888:Wechsler Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data