ClinicalTrials.gg
Enrolling by invitationNCT07454785Updated Sep 15, 2026

Neuronal Mechanisms of Learning and Utilizing Abstract Representations

An interventional study of Cedrus RB-844 response pad; Adtech Behnke-Fried micro-electrodes; Neurolynx electrophysiology system; Blackrock Cerestim stimulator in Epilepsy Intractable, sponsored by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-15.

Sponsored by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
114
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-13

Among 78 studies in Drug Resistant Epilepsy with a site in United States — 29 open to participants now, 34 under way, 2 of them phase 3. Drug Resistant Epilepsy · United States.

Planned enrollment
14th of 67
114 · median 27
Started
2026
with 6 others
No phase
38 of 78
22 open now
Primary completion
2028-08
later than 24 of 33 live
Registered
70th of 78
by date
Lead sponsor
4 of 78
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Among the 78 studies in Drug Resistant Epilepsy with a site in United States, this one is the 14th largest by planned enrollment of the 67 interventional ones that give a count, is one of 7 that started in 2026, is one of 38 with no phase, reaches primary completion later than 24 of the 33 other live ones, and was the 70th registered.

Drug Resistant Epilepsy

257 studies on the registry are indexed under Drug Resistant Epilepsy; 108 are open to participants now.

Browse Drug Resistant Epilepsy studies →

Open to participants now

29 of the 78 studies in Drug Resistant Epilepsy with a site in United States are open now. Recruiting first, the newest first:

24 more — sign in →

All 29 open studies →

A study can be open while its sites in United States have not opened yet or have stopped. Only those recruiting at a site in United States →

Who these studies take

Of the 66 Drug Resistant Epilepsy studies recruiting now, 26 (39%) set no upper age limit and 39 (59%) stop at 75 or younger; 25 take children under 18; 6 take healthy volunteers.

This study: 18 Years and older · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.

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02

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to examine how memories of past experiences are used to guide behavior in novel situations through the cognitive process of abstraction. This project examines how abstract representations are learned, whether and how they support generalization to novel situations, and whether and how they support analogical reasoning.

Read the detailed description

Despite the importance of abstraction for human cognition, little is known about the underlying mechanisms and their disruption by disease or injury. The goal of this research is to develop a circuit-level understanding of abstraction to enable the development of new treatments for the devastating effects of cognitive disorders in which abstraction fails. As part of this study, investigators will conduct experiments that utilize the rare opportunity to record in-vivo from human single neurons simultaneously in multiple brain areas in patients undergoing treatment for drug resistant epilepsy.

Researchers will investigate three overarching hypotheses on the neural substrate of abstraction. Aim 1: to determine the dynamics of learning abstract representations. Aim 2: to decipher how abstract representations facilitate generalization. Aim 3: to decipher how abstract representations facilitate analogical reasoning.

The expected outcomes of this work are a characterization of how abstract neural representations are formed, how they enable generalization to novel stimuli and tasks, and how they enable analogical reasoning.

Participants in this study are patients undergoing invasive monitoring for suspected focal epilepsy with depth electrodes. Subjects will conduct a variety of cognitive tests on a computer placed in front of them during their hospital stay. Participating hospitals in this study are Cedars-Sinai, UC Davis, and Barrow Neurological Institute.

03

Conditions studied

  • Epilepsy Intractable

Keywords

  • Epilepsy
  • Decision-making
  • Memory
  • Depth Electrode
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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

  • Intractable epilepsy, undergoing invasive monitoring
  • Age ≥18
  • Full Scale Intelligence Quotient > 70
  • Ability to comprehend and perform simple behavioral tasks by pressing buttons on laptop computer in response to questions.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Determination by clinicians and investigators that a patient is unable to complete the behavioral tasks required for the protocol due to either cognitive limits, psychological limits, or pain.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
114 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Behavioral Testing

    Behavioral testing and neuronal recordings

    Behavioral: Cedrus RB-844 response pad; Adtech Behnke-Fried micro-electrodes; Neurolynx electrophysiology system; Blackrock Cerestim stimulator

Interventions

  • BehavioralCedrus RB-844 response pad; Adtech Behnke-Fried micro-electrodes; Neurolynx electrophysiology system; Blackrock Cerestim stimulator

    Devices listed are components of a single intervention that includes: Record patient responses (Cedrus RB-844), record neuronal activity (Neurolynx) from electrodes (Adtech Behnke-Fried), apply intermittent electrical stimulation (Blackrock Cerestim)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Neuronal population activity

    Proportion of experiment sessions in which abstract representation emerged following successful learning of the task by the subject.

    Time frame: 3 years

  2. Facilitation of generalization

    Strength of correlation between the presence of abstract representations at the neuronal level and the subjects ability to perform generalization.

    Time frame: 3 years

  3. Effect of electrical stimulation

    Proportion of experiment sessions in which electrical stimulation to the hippocampus disrupted abstract representations.

    Time frame: 3 years

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Mar 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2028, 29 months after the start.

Of 90 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Drug Resistant Epilepsy, half reached primary completion within 40 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 21. This study's planned 29 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 102 studies reached it within 34 months; a quarter within 21 and three quarters within 50.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Feb 5, 2026
First posted
Mar 6, 2026
StartActual
Mar 30, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Aug 31, 2028
CompletionEst.
Aug 31, 2028
Last update
Sep 15, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 15, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07454785
Responsible party
Adam Mamelak, MD (Professor of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 6, 2026
Start date
Mar 30, 2026
Primary completion
Aug 31, 2028 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 31, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 15, 2026

Study contacts

Ueli Rutishauser, PhD
principal investigator · Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Adam Mamelak, MD
principal investigator · Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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