Scientists probe the brain's decision-making circuitry one neuron at a time
NCT ID NCT06489561
First seen Jul 23, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study aims to understand how the human brain makes goal-directed decisions by recording activity from individual neurons. Researchers will monitor brain cell firing in people with epilepsy who are already undergoing invasive monitoring. Participants perform simple button-pressing tasks while their neuronal activity is recorded, helping to map the neural computations behind decision-making.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If this works, it could point toward better treatments for disorders of decision-making and performance monitoring.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage observational study in a specific patient group, so findings may not apply to the general population.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Intractable epilepsy, undergoing invasive monitoring * Age ≥13 * Full Scale Intelligence Quotient \> 70 * Ability to comprehend and perform simple behavioral tasks by pressing buttons on laptop computer in response to questions Exclusion Criteria: * Determination by clinicians and investigators that a patient is unable to complete the behavioral tasks required for the protocol due to either cognitive limits, psychological limits, or pain
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, California, 90048, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Brain mapping breakthrough could revolutionize epilepsy surgery