000156608 001__ 156608 000156608 005__ 20251017144634.0 000156608 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1016/j.bbih.2025.100998 000156608 0248_ $$2sideral$$a143888 000156608 037__ $$aART-2025-143888 000156608 041__ $$aeng 000156608 100__ $$aBatallas, Daniela 000156608 245__ $$aSex differences in the mediating role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor between inflammation and memory in cirrhotic patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy 000156608 260__ $$c2025 000156608 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000156608 5203_ $$aMinimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) affects attention, visuo-motor coordination, and visual perception, with mixed evidence on its impact on memory. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with memory dysfunction, and plays a crucial role in modulating neuroplasticity. This study investigates the mediating role of BDNF in the relationship between pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-15, IL-18), and declarative memory performance, and the moderating effects of sex. Sixty-eight cirrhotic patients and 22 healthy volunteers performed the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score for MHE diagnosis and logical memory subtest (Wechsler Memory Scale-III). Moderated mediation analysis using bias-corrected bootstrapping and multiple regression was performed. Results showed that increased levels of IL-18 and IL-15 were significantly associated with lower BDNF levels (p = 0.03 and p = 0.02 respectively). However, no direct effect was observed between IL-18 and IL-15 and memory. The conditional effects of BDNF on memory were significant only for women with and without MHE, and lower BDNF levels were associated with lower memory performance (without MHE: p = 0.002; MHE: p = 0.001). Moreover, BDNF mediated indirectly the relationship between pro-inflammatory cytokines and memory. IL-18 and IL-15 impacted memory through reduced BDNF levels only in women with and without MHE, whereas IL-6 showed no significant effect on BDNF or memory across groups. These findings underscore the important role of BDNF in memory in cirrhotic patients, especially women with MHE, by mediating the IL-18 and IL-15 effects. The study highlights the role of IL-18 and IL-15 cytokines in neuroplasticity-related memory decline, positioning BDNF as a key biomarker for inflammation-associated cognitive impairment in this population. 000156608 536__ $$9Info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/PID2020-119406GB-I00$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/PI23-00062 000156608 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby-nc-nd$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es 000156608 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000156608 700__ $$aGallego, Juan José 000156608 700__ $$aCasanova-Ferrer, Franc 000156608 700__ $$aLópez-Gramaje, Adriá 000156608 700__ $$aRivas-Diaz, Pablo 000156608 700__ $$aMegías, Javier 000156608 700__ $$aEscudero-García, Desamparados 000156608 700__ $$aDurbán, Lucía 000156608 700__ $$aBenlloch, Salvador 000156608 700__ $$aUrios, Amparo 000156608 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-3920-1099$$aHidalgo, Vanesa$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000156608 700__ $$aSalvador, Alicia 000156608 700__ $$aMontoliu, Carmina 000156608 7102_ $$14009$$2725$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Psicología y Sociología$$cÁrea Psicobiología 000156608 773__ $$g46 (2025), 100998 [11 pp.]$$tBrain, behavior, & immunity. Health$$x2666-3546 000156608 8564_ $$s2013693$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/156608/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000156608 8564_ $$s2106799$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/156608/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000156608 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:156608$$particulos$$pdriver 000156608 951__ $$a2025-10-17-14:27:57 000156608 980__ $$aARTICLE