ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT03478852Updated Oct 26, 2026

Investigating Epilepsy: Screening and Evaluation

An observational study in Seizures, Epilepsy and Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe, sponsored by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 8 Years to 110 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-26.

Sponsored by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Mar 2018; still recruiting 8 years 7 months later.
Updated Oct 7, 2026Primary completion movedStudy completion moved+1 moreGo to Updates ↓
Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
1,000
Ages
8 Years to 110 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Background:

Epilepsy affects about 1 percent of the U.S. population. Most people with epilepsy respond well to medicine, but some do not. Researchers want people who have diagnosed or suspected epilepsy to participate in ongoing studies. They want to learn more about clinical care for epilepsy. They want fellows and residents to learn more about the care of people with epilepsy.

Objectives:

To learn more about seizures and find ways to best treat people with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Eligibility:

Adults and children ages 8 years and older with diagnosed or suspected epilepsy

Design:

Participants will be screened with:

Physical exam

Medical history

Questionnaires

Participants will have many visits. They may be admitted to the hospital for several weeks. Their medication might be stopped or changed.

Participants will have many tests:

Blood and urine tests

EEG: Wires attached to the head with paste record brain waves. This may be videotaped.

Thinking and memory tests

MRI: Participants lie on a table that slides in and out of a tube. They perform simple tasks in the tube.

MEG: Participants lie on a table and place their head in a helmet to record brain waves.

PET scan: Participants lie on a table that slides into a machine. A small amount of radioactive dye is injected into their arm with an IV. For the IV, a small tube is inserted into the arm with a needle.

Participants will stay enrolled in this study if they join other epilepsy-related studies. They may be contacted at intervals for follow-up. Their participation will end if they have not been seen clinically for their epilepsy for 3 years.

Read the detailed description

Study Description:\<TAB>

This protocol is designed to serve as a screening protocol that provides standard evaluation and treatment for patients with epilepsy. Clinical data collected through this protocol will be used in other NIH epilepsy-related research to screen for eligibility in the respective protocols and may also be used for descriptive and/or correlative research through this protocol.

Objectives:

Primary Objective:

Maintain a cohort of patients who are referred to the NIH with a known or suspected diagnosis of epilepsy that can be accessed by other NIH studies to screen for eligibility to participate in ongoing epilepsy-related protocols.

Secondary Objectives:

  • to follow the natural history of subjects with epilepsy and epilepsy and related disorders, and
  • to allow for descriptive and/or correlational studies based on the data collected through clinical care of these patients.
02

Conditions studied

  • Seizures
  • Epilepsy
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe
  • Partial Epilepsy

Keywords

  • Seizure Disorder
  • Seizures
  • Antiepileptic Drug
  • Natural History Study
  • Screening Protocol
03

In context

Seizures

766 studies on the registry are indexed under Seizures; 136 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 1,000 is above the median of 140 across 216 observational studies indexed under Seizures.

Browse Seizures studies →

Lead sponsor

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is the lead sponsor of 601 studies on the registry; 56 are open to participants now.

Of its 18 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 8 (44%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
8 Years to 110 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Adults and Children age 8 years and older referred with a known or suspected diagnosis of epilepsy

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 8 years or older
  • Known or suspected diagnosis of epilepsy
  • Ability to give or have a legally authorized representative able to give consent (for adults without consent capacity) or parent/guardian able to provide informed consent (for a child)
  • If unable to give informed consent, ability to give verbal assent

Exclusion criteria

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • Patients with unstable medical conditions that, in the opinion of the investigators, makes participation unsafe, or who, in the opinion of the investigators may be unable to comply with the protocol
  • Patients who are unable to travel to the NIH
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
1,000 participants (estimated)

Groups and cohorts

  • Single Arm

    Single arm open enrollment of patients with standard of care treatment and evaluation

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Screening and characterization of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy for epilepsy-related protocols

    to characterization of patients epilepsy to determine their eligibility for inclusion in other epilepsy-related protocols.

    Time frame: 5 year period

Secondary outcomes

  1. Data obtained through clinical care will provide descriptive and/or correlative research

    data obtained through clinical care provided under this protocol in descriptive and/or correlative research in this and other protocols.

    Time frame: 5 year period

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
    Recruiting
    • For more information at the NIH Clinical Center contact Office of Patient Recruitment (OPR) · Contactprpl@cc.nih.gov · 800-411-1222
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

09

Updates

4 registry updates since Sep 25, 2026
Primary completion
Jul 30, 2027→Jul 31, 2037
Oct 7, 2026
Study completion
Jul 30, 2027→Jul 31, 2037
Oct 7, 2026
Contact
Study contact's phone or email changed: •••7686→•••2952. See the current contact
Oct 7, 2026
Show all 4 updates
  1. Oct 26, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date
  2. Oct 13, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date
  3. Oct 7, 2026
    Primary completion Jul 30, 2027→Jul 31, 2037
    Study completion Jul 30, 2027→Jul 31, 2037
    Contact Study contact's phone or email changed: •••7686→•••2952. See the current contact
    + 1 other change: verification date
  4. Oct 2, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03478852
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Mar 27, 2018
Start date
Mar 28, 2018
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2037 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 31, 2037 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 26, 2026

Study contacts

Aaliyah M HamidullahThiam
Contact
aaliyah.hamidullahthiam@nih.gov
(301) 435-2952
Yasser Tajali, M.D.
Contact
yasser.tajali@nih.gov
(301) 594-9223
Yasser Tajali, M.D.
principal investigator · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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