How thalamus regions affect seizure spread and memory in epilepsy
Official title: Human Thalamus in Propagation of Temporal Lobe Seizures and Memory Formation
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11238899 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how two thalamus areas are involved in seizure spread and memory in people with hard-to-treat temporal lobe epilepsy using direct brain recordings and stimulation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $576,095 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS137650-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11238899 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy who are undergoing intracranial monitoring or are candidates for thalamic DBS are the most likely candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without temporal lobe epilepsy, those not undergoing intracranial electrode monitoring, or those unwilling to have brain stimulation are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will record brain activity directly from parts of your thalamus and hippocampus while you undergo epilepsy monitoring. They will compare two thalamic regions—the anterior nucleus (ANT) and the pulvinar—to see which gets involved when temporal lobe seizures spread. You may do memory tasks while they measure the timing of signals, and they will also deliver short bursts of stimulation to the ANT using standard DBS settings to see how that changes memory activity. The team will match these recordings to each person's brain connections to map seizure pathways and how stimulation affects memory in individual patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could improve brain stimulation treatments so they stop seizures more effectively with fewer memory side effects.
How similar studies have gone: Anterior thalamic DBS has helped some patients with refractory seizures but can cause memory problems, and this project builds on that experience by using new recordings and stimulation tests to better understand circuits and side effects.
Where this research is happening
-
Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Parvizi, Josef — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Parvizi, Josef
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.