Modulating Oscillations and Working Memory in Patients With Subdural Electrodes

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHAPEL HILL · Apr 6, 2017

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is exploring whether rhythmic direct electrical stimulation of the brain, delivered through electrodes placed on the surface of the brain for epilepsy mapping, can align brain activity and improve thinking. In a within-person design, each participant will perform short thinking tasks while alternating between real brain stimulation and sham (no stimulation) trials. The stimulation uses short trains of electrical pulses at about 5 Hz or 10 Hz, at a safe, clinically approved level, for about 5 seconds per trial. Participants will complete a working memory task (remembering a sequence and deciding if an item was in it) and a facial recognition task, and researchers will measure accuracy and how fast responses come. Brain activity is recorded with intracranial EEG during the tasks to see how stimulation affects brain rhythms and performance.

Who may be eligible: adults aged 18 to 80 with a history of medically intractable epilepsy who can give informed consent. They must not have other major neurological diseases, significant cognitive impairment, severe psychiatric illness, or heavy substance use. The study is conducted with patients already undergoing epilepsy surgery planning, and all procedures are linked to their clinical care. The trial is ongoing and does not yet have results to report; primary goals include understanding whether stimulation changes brain activity and improves memory task performance, with results to be shared in de-identified form after the study. The study is led by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with NIH collaborators, and completion is expected in early 2026.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. History of medically intractable epilepsy
• • 2. Capable of giving informed consent
• • 3. Aged 18 - 80 years, either sex
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Past or current history of other neurological illnesses including ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, brain neoplasm.
• • 2. Major systemic illness
• • 3. Severe cognitive impairment defined as mini-mental state examination of less than 20
• • 4. Severe psychiatric illness
• • 5. Excessive use of alcohol or other substances