Brain-Scan showdown: which test best finds seizure hotspots?
NCT ID NCT03893916
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares two advanced brain-mapping techniques—magnetoencephalography (MEG) and high-resolution EEG (EEG HR)—to see which better locates the seizure-causing area in people with drug-resistant epilepsy who are candidates for surgery. Researchers will enroll 100 participants and check how well each method matches the actual surgical site in patients who become seizure-free after surgery. The goal is to determine if one technique is more precise, or if using both together adds value.
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 successful, this could help doctors more accurately pinpoint where seizures start in the brain, potentially improving epilepsy surgery success rates.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational comparison of two techniques, not a treatment trial. It may not lead to immediate changes in patient care, and results might not apply to all epilepsy types.
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 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2019
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2029
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 60 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: * patients with partial epilepsy for at least 2 years and for whom are decided and planned: either i) a surgical procedure to resect the epileptogenic zone without prior intracranial EEG recording either ii) an intracranial EEG record needed before a possible cortectomy procedure * Routine scalp EEG revealing known paroxysmal interictal abnormalities (at least 5 points on a 20-minute plot performed less than 2 years before inclusion in the study) * Patient giving written consent Exclusion Criteria: * patient aged over 60 or under 18 * patients with contraindications to brain MRI and MEG * women of childbearing age for whom a urine pregnancy test performed during the first visit would detect a pregnancy
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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
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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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Hospices Civils de Lyon
RECRUITINGBron, 69500, France
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