Does neuroticism influence cognitive self-assessment after epilepsy surgery?

Purpose: To examine how cognitive, personality, and seizure outcome variabl es influence the subjective cognitive functioning of patients with refracto ry temporal lobe seizures after epilepsy surgery. Methods: Thirty-three consecutive patients with drug-resistant partial epil epsy who underwent surgical treatment at a tertiary referral university epi lepsy center were tested before surgery and 1 year after surgery. Objective cognitive and subjective cognitive functioning tests were used, and person ality was assessed. Seizure control was operationalized as a dichotomous va riable. Results: A significant inverse relationship was found between neuroticism a nd subjective cognitive functioning. None of the other pre- and postoperati ve cognitive and surgery outcome variables were significant predictors of s ubjective cognitive functioning, even after controlling for the effect of n euroticism. Conclusions: Subjective and objective memory functioning are independent in patients with epilepsy after surgical treatment. Subjective memory functio ning appears to be related not to seizure relief but to neuroticism. These data suggest that psychological factors such as personality traits predispo sing to emotional distress should be taken into consideration in the clinic al management and counseling of patients undergoing epilepsy surgery.