Scientists zap brains to map thinking in epilepsy
NCT ID NCT05290610
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at how different parts of the brain handle mental effort in adults with epilepsy. Researchers will use tiny electrical pulses on the brain's surface while patients do thinking tasks. The goal is to create detailed maps of brain function to help guide future epilepsy surgery. About 30 patients already scheduled for brain monitoring will take part.
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 improve understanding of how different brain areas control mental effort, potentially guiding future epilepsy surgery to avoid harming important functions.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early feasibility study with only 30 participants, focused on observation rather than treatment. Results may not apply to all epilepsy patients or lead directly to new therapies.
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 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2022
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2027
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 years and older
- 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: * Male or female 18 years and older at screening. * Written informed consent is obtained from the participant to comply with the requirements of the study. * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study * Currently undergoing clinically indicated intracranial EEG monitoring for planning of epilepsy surgery in the University of Minnesota/MINCEP program. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy ruled out prior to approval for intracranial EG monitoring. * Persons who are rendered temporarily or permanently invulnerable by inability to understand the research due to study complexity, cognitive impairment, or by inability to make independent decisions owing to University of Minnesota or to Fairview health services.
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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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University of Minnesota
RECRUITINGMinneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Reading the Brain's signals to predict who benefits from deep brain stimulation
- Can a Comfort-Focused education program improve life with epilepsy?
- Can video games rewire young brains after injury?
- High-Fat Diet's effect on epilepsy: scientists track brain signals
- Epilepsy drug candidate put to the test in healthy volunteers