000163209 001__ 163209
000163209 005__ 20251017161900.0
000163209 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115118
000163209 0248_ $$2sideral$$a145674
000163209 037__ $$aART-2026-145674
000163209 041__ $$aeng
000163209 100__ $$aTormos-Pons, Paula
000163209 245__ $$aSex differences in cortisol levels and their relationship with memory and negative affectivity in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy
000163209 260__ $$c2026
000163209 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted
000163209 5203_ $$aDrug-resistant epilepsy can be considered a chronic stress condition characterized by uncontrollable seizures together with cognitive and affective alterations. Epilepsy and its treatments affect men and women differently, potentially due to interactions with sexual hormones that influence how they experience the condition. This study examines potential sex differences in cortisol levels (as the product of stress processes), affectivity, and memory in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, and the relationships among these variables. The sample was composed of 96 adult patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (M = 38.01 ± 11.12 years; 47 men and 49 women). Results show that men had higher evening cortisol levels and cortisol area under the curve (AUCi) than women (for both, p < .05), especially in those with a left hemisphere focus. Men also showed higher trait anxiety, higher DDD and poorer memory than women. In the total sample, trait anxiety and the DDD significantly predicted poor immediate and delayed memory, controlling for the side of seizure focus and effects of epilepsy type (p < .001). When analyses were stratified by sex, cortisol AUCi predicted poorer delayed memory in men but not in women, while DDD predicted memory performance only in women. These findings suggest that cortisol, trait anxiety and the DDD are reliable predictors of memory impairment in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, with a sex-differential pattern of relationships. Our results highlight the importance of considering sex differences and clinical variables when developing tailored treatment approaches for this population.
000163209 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/PID2020-118992RB-I00
000163209 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby-nc-nd$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es
000163209 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
000163209 700__ $$aCano-López, Irene
000163209 700__ $$aCatalán-Aguilar, Judit
000163209 700__ $$aLozano-García, Alejandro
000163209 700__ $$aHampel, Kevin G.
000163209 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-3920-1099$$aHidalgo, Vanesa$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000163209 700__ $$aSalvador, Alicia
000163209 700__ $$aVillanueva, Vicente
000163209 700__ $$aGonzález-Bono, Esperanza
000163209 7102_ $$14009$$2725$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Psicología y Sociología$$cÁrea Psicobiología
000163209 773__ $$g303 (2026), 115118 [10 pp.]$$pPhysiol. behav.$$tPhysiology and Behavior$$x0031-9384
000163209 8564_ $$s1208217$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/163209/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada
000163209 8564_ $$s2496759$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/163209/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada
000163209 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:163209$$particulos$$pdriver
000163209 951__ $$a2025-10-17-14:08:07
000163209 980__ $$aARTICLE