An interventional study of MRI scan and electrocardiogram in Epilepsy, Hypothalamus and Seizures- Cardiac Dysautonomia, sponsored by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens. Recruiting at 1 site in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-22.
Sponsored by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy may have cardiac dysautonomia, with reduced heart rate variability and increased sympathetic tone. This condition is part of the concept of "epileptic heart" and could be a risk factor for sudden death, one of the main causes of excess mortality in patients with severe epilepsy in adulthood. The mechanism of this cardiac impairment is poorly understood. The hypothalamus, due to its role as the subcortical conductor of the autonomic nervous system and its known links with the limbic system, particularly the amygdala and hippocampus, is a candidate for a key intermediary role in the impact of seizures on cardiorespiratory function. The investigators wish to investigate the hypothesis that cardiac dysautonomia in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy is correlated with structural changes in the hypothalamus. The investigators wish to study in 7Tesla MRI the volume of the different hypothalamic nuclei, the amygdalo- hypothalamic and hypothalamo-bulbar connectivity, as well as the metabolic content in spectroscopy in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, and correlate these data with the sympathetic and parasympathetic tones of these patients.
1,842 studies on the registry are indexed under Epilepsy; 423 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 20 is below the median of 50 across 1,228 interventional studies indexed under Epilepsy.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Patients will be recruited and included by the epileptologist in the clinical neurophysiology department, after verification of the inclusion criteria. The patient will then undergo an MRI scan on the 7T machine at Lille University Hospital during the Amiens shifts. The anonymized images will be transmitted to Amiens-Picardie University Hospital via an existing secure system. The images will be processed in Amiens under the supervision of Prof. Constans.
Heart rate variability parameters will be calculated from the patients' electrocardiograms, performed as part of their care under the supervision of Prof. Szurhaj.
Correlation coefficient between the volume of the posterior hypothalamic nucleus with the degree of cardiac autonomic function impairment
Correlation coefficient between the volume of the posterior hypothalamic nucleus with the degree of cardiac autonomic function impairment across the entire cohort of patients with epilepsy
Time frame: 5 months
correlation of anterior nucleus volumes with HRV parameters
correlation of anterior nucleus volumes with HRV parameters. HRV is heart rate variability. HRV, which is calculated from the intervals between normal heart beats
Time frame: 5 months
correlation of lateral nucleus volumes with HRV parameters
correlation of lateral nucleus volumes with HRV parameters HRV is heart rate variability. HRV, which is calculated from the intervals between normal heart beats
Time frame: 5 months
correlation of the posterior nucleus volumes with the risk of SUDEP
correlation of the posterior nucleus volumes with the risk of SUDEP
Time frame: 5 months
correlation of the lateral nucleus volumes with the risk of SUDEP
correlation of the lateral nucleus volumes with the risk of SUDEP
Time frame: 5 months
correlation of the anterior nucleus volumes with the risk of SUDEP
correlation of the anterior nucleus volumes with the risk of SUDEP
Time frame: 5 months
correlation of structural connectivity values with heart rate variability parameters
Correlation of the structural connectivity values (amygdalo-hypothalamic tract, hypothalamo-bulbar tract, and intra-hypothalamic connectivity) with heart rate variability parameters. HRV is heart rate variability. HRV, which is calculated from the intervals between normal heart beats
Time frame: 5 months
Correlation of metabolic values of the hypothalamus and the bulbar region with heart rate variability parameters
Correlation of metabolic values of the hypothalamus and the bulbar region with heart rate variability parameters HRV is heart rate variability. HRV, which is calculated from the intervals between normal heart beats
Time frame: 5 months
Correlation of the posterior nucleus volumes with the frequency of generalized seizures during the 12 months prior to enrollment
Correlation of the posterior nucleus volumes with the frequency of generalized seizures during the 12 months prior to enrollment
Time frame: 5 months
Correlation of the anterior nucleus volumes with the frequency of generalized seizures during the 12 months prior to enrollment
Correlation of the anterior nucleus volumes with the frequency of generalized seizures during the 12 months prior to enrollment
Time frame: 5 months
Correlation of the lateral nucleus volumes with the frequency of generalized seizures during the 12 months prior to enrollment
Correlation of the lateral nucleus volumes with the frequency of generalized seizures during the 12 months prior to enrollment
Time frame: 5 months
Plan to share: No
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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 ↗
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