Personalized electrical brain stimulation for epilepsy patients

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This study aims to develop a personalized approach to electrical brain stimulation for patients with medication refractory epilepsy who already have electrodes implanted for clinical monitoring. By tracking patients' neural activity and their reported symptoms of depression, the researchers will create models that predict how the brain responds to stimulation. The goal is to establish a closed-loop system that tailors stimulation therapy to individual patients, enhancing its efficacy. The study will take place in an epilepsy monitoring unit, where data will be collected from patients during their standard clinical care.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients being evaluated for surgical treatment of medication refractory epilepsy and brain tumors will be studied. ONLY patients with electrodes implanted based on clinical criteria to locate their seizure focus will be studied. Most patients are healthy adults, outside of their epilepsy and/or brain tumor.
* Subjects \>= 18 are only included in this study.
* All patients with the above conditions and with implanted electrode arrays who are willing to participate and able to cooperate and follow research instructions will be recruited. However, analysis of research recording data will focus on those subjects with an IQ \>= 80, with no impairments of reading, naming, or articulation (to minimize confounds such as abnormal language processing that may affect their self-reporting with the questionnaire), and with no cerebral pathology affecting the cortical regions from which recordings are made.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Subjects \< 18 years old will be excluded from this study due to the high concordance of developmental disorders (cognitive and language-related) in pediatric epilepsies.
* There will be no involvement of special classes of subjects, such as fetuses, neonates, pregnant women, children, prisoners, institutionalized individuals, or others who may be considered vulnerable populations.
* Patients who are unable to give informed consent due to a brain disorder will be excluded from the study, as it is very likely that they would be unable to carry out the tasks demanded by the study.

Where it's running

• University of Southern California
  Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting
• University of California, San Francisco
  San Francisco, California, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Maryam M Shanechi, PhD — University of Southern California
• Study coordinator: Maryam M Shanechi, PhD
• Email: shanechi@usc.edu
• Phone: 213-740-1377

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.