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Scientific Symposium: Biological Sex as a Factor in Epilepsy Research and Treatment

Christina Gross^1,2, Catherine A Christian-Hinman³, P Emanuela Voinescu⁴

¹Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Epilepsy Currents

|March 9, 2026

Abstract:

Epilepsy disorders differ depending on sex, gender and hormonal status. This can change treatment efficacy and remains an understudied topic in epilepsy, despite several public health initiatives promoting the inclusion of female subjects in clinical and preclinical research over the last 40 years. Here, we summarize research presented at the 2025 American Epilepsy Meeting Scientific Symposium that described current knowledge in sex differences in epilepsy, including X chromosome-dependent and -independent genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, and discussed how these advances may impact epilepsy management. The importance of considering sex, gender and hormones in epilepsy is increasingly acknowledged in basic, preclinical and clinical research. It is crucial to leverage this momentum into large-scale population research to better characterize the differences alongside detailed mechanistic studies that can ultimately lead to improved care for all individuals with epilepsy.

Keywords:

X-chromosome inactivation biological sex epigenetic mechanisms epilepsy treatment gonadal hormones reproductive neuroendocrine axis

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