An observational study in Epilepsy, sponsored by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-09.
Sponsored by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) · Observational
Background:
- Epilepsy is a seizure disorder. Sometimes it is treated with surgery. During surgery, electrodes are placed on or in the brain. Researchers want to learn more about memory and the brain. They want to do tests on people who are having epilepsy surgery.
Objective:
- To learn more about memory and brain function by recording brain cell activity during memory tasks.
Eligibility:
- Adults age 18 - 65 who have medically intractable epilepsy and will have electrodes placed to identify the source of their seizures. They must be currently enrolled in protocol 11-N-0051.
Design:
Objective
The primary objectives of this study are (1) to identify biomarkers of successful memory encoding and retrieval, and (2) to identify brain regions that can be stimulated to affect memory performance. The secondary objective is to identify biomarkers that can be used to predict cognitive impairment following resection surgery.
Study Population
One hundred (100) adult subjects with epilepsy who are enrolled in 11-N-0051 Epilepsy Surgery protocol.
Study Design
We plan to enroll individuals with drug resistant epilepsy who are enrolled in a separate protocol, 11-N-0051 Epilepsy Surgery, and who will undergo a neurosurgical procedure in which seizure activity and cognitive functions are mapped using intracranial electrodes in order to guide resection of seizure generating tissue. In this procedure, surgeons place electrodes solely based on clinical consideration with the goal of identifying the seizure focus (or foci) and also for purposes of functional mapping using electrical stimulation.
We propose to administer computerized memory tasks during the intracranial EEG monitoring period. Memory testing may also occur during other patient visits for protocol 11-N-0051. This testing may occur during a pre-surgical outpatient visit or during Phase 1 (pre-implantation) monitoring, to establish baseline memory performance, or after the resection surgery, to identify potential changes in memory performance due to the resection. All testing associated with this protocol will be done during visits or hospitalizations for 11-N-0051, and this protocol involves no additional study visits.
Some memory test sessions will include low-intensity electrical stimulation of the brain using the intracranial electrodes. During these sessions, brain stimulation trials will be interleaved with non- stimulation trials in a randomized fashion.
EEG recordings will be retrospectively analyzed for the presence of biomarkers that correlate with successful memory performance, and test performance will be compared between the stimulation and no-stimulation conditions.
The studies described here are voluntary and for research purpose only. They will not interfere with the clinical evaluation or decision-making process for epilepsy surgery.
Outcome Measures
The primary outcomes are (1) to identify biomarkers of successful memory encoding and retrieval, and (2) to identify brain regions that can be stimulated to affect memory performance. The secondary outcome is to identify biomarkers that can be used to predict cognitive impairment following resection surgery.
1,848 studies on the registry are indexed under Epilepsy; 422 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 200 is above the median of 112 across 540 observational studies indexed under Epilepsy.
Browse Epilepsy studies →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.
Patients who are considered for this protocol are those with medically intractable epilepsy and currently enrolled in 11-N-0051 Epilepsy Surgery. The patient population for this study is restricted to patients with medically intractable epilepsy because they require surgery for their condition. All participants in this study will require invasive monitoring as part of a clinical evaluation that may lead to subsequent resection of an epileptogenic focus. Enrollment will be equitable among those individuals who meet the inclusion criteria and will not be based on race, ethnicity, or gender.
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.
To be eligible for entry into the study, candidates must meet all the following criteria:
EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
Candidates will be excluded if they:
-Have any disability that would limit their ability to perform study tasks that examine memory function.
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.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients age \>18 years and \<= 65 years enrolled in 11-N-0051 Epilepsy Surgery
to identify biomarkers of successful memory encoding and retrieval
We will compare brain recordings during memory encoding for items that are later recalled versus items that are not later recalled. For example, broadband oscillatory activity from electrodes in human temporal lobe has been shown to predict which items are later recalled
Time frame: during visits/hospitalizations for 11-N-0051
to identify brain regions that can be stimulated to enhance memory performance
We will correlate task performance across a variety of memory tasks and electrode locations with stimulation parameters (e.g. frequency and amplitude), to identify those brain areas and stimulation parameters that increase task performance.
Time frame: during visits/hospitalizations for 11-N-0051
to identify biomarkers that can be used to predict cognitive impairment following resection surgery
Time frame: Ongoing
Plan to share: Undecided — We do plan to share IPD. We will share all IPD that results in a publication on a public repository, as required by most journals. The data will be de-identified and anonymized.
Started Oct 2016 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jan 2027, 122 months after the start.
Of 193 non-industry observational studies under Epilepsy, half reached primary completion within 62 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 33 and three quarters within 179. This study's planned 122 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 230 studies reached it within 59 months; a quarter within 24 and three quarters within 119.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) →