Antiseizure medication in patients with meningioma: a retrospective cohort study on the long-term impact on depression, anxiety and neurocognitive functioning

TL;DR

This study examines whether antiseizure medications affect mood and cognition in meningioma patients, finding no significant impact.

Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the neuropsychiatric effects of antiseizure medications in meningioma patients.

Findings

ASM use was not significantly associated with depression in meningioma patients.

No significant link was found between ASM use and anxiety or cognitive impairment.

Levetiracetam's specific effects could not be analyzed due to sample size limitations.

Abstract

Patients with meningiomas often suffer from brain tumor-related epilepsy for which they are prescribed antiseizure medication (ASM). ASMs have been associated with neuropsychiatric side effects such as depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairments. However, the association between ASM use and mood and cognition in meningioma patients remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of ASM use, and specifically the use of levetiracetam, with depression, anxiety, and neurocognitive functioning.

In this multicentre retrospective study, data from 187 meningioma patients were collected from neurocognitive tests, the HADS questionnaire, and medical records. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between ASM use, and depression, anxiety and neurocognitive impairment. Potential confounders were included based on the existing literature. Due to sample size limitations, the association of levetiracetam use with depression, anxiety and neurocognitive impairment could not be statistically analyzed.

The prevalence of depression, anxiety and cognitive impairment did not differ significantly for patients using ASM (n = 41) as compared to patients not using ASM (n = 146) (aOR = 0.81; 95% CI 0.26–2.54; aOR = 0.63; 95% CI 0.22–1.82; aOR = 1.42; 95% CI 0.51–3.98).

Our findings show no significant association between ASM use and mood and neurocognitive dysfunction in meningioma patients.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11060-025-05025-w.