Brain-Scan showdown: which test best finds seizure hotspots?

NCT ID NCT03893916

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

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

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

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Oct 2019

Expected to finish

Apr 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

18 to 60 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

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.

Drug Resistant Epilepsy epilepsy focal epilepsy

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.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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

  • Hospices Civils de Lyon

    RECRUITING

    Bron, 69500, France

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