Brain Infusion of Muscimol to Treat Epilepsy

Launched by NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE (NINDS) · Jun 24, 2000

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to test the hypotheses that direct infusion of the brain (convection enhanced delivery) with neurotransmitter receptor agonists is 1) safe and 2) can be used to study the basic pathophysiology of the epileptic focus in human subjects. The approach described may be a new approach for precise localization of a seizure focus. It may also prove to indicate the distribution of suppression (in space) required for elimination of seizure activity in individual patients and, by doing so, may more accurately define the minimum treatment area that is requir...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• * INCLUSION CRITERIA:
• To be eligible for entry into the study, candidates must meet all the following criteria:
• • 1. Be 18 years of age or older.
• • 2. Have simple or complex partial seizures.
• • 3. Seizures must persist at 2 or more per month, despite medical therapy.
• • 4. Be able to give informed consent.
• • 5. Have been determined by the NIH neurology staff to have medically intractable epilepsy.
• • 6. Have a seizure focus in a single region of one cerebral hemisphere.
• EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
• Candidates will be excluded if they:
• • 1. Are pregnant.
• • 2. Have a contraindication to MRI scanning.
• • 3. Have a bleeding disorder that cannot be corrected before testing or treatment.
• • 4. Are unable to comprehend the risks of the testing and surgical therapy.
• • 5. Have seizure foci in more than one region of one hemisphere or in both cerebral hemispheres.
• • 6. Have a positive HIV test, because such patients would have increased risk of infection due to their immune deficiency.