Scientists zap brains to boost memory in epilepsy patients
NCT ID NCT04095026
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This study looks at how the brain creates and recalls memories by recording brain activity in people with epilepsy who already have electrodes placed for surgery. Participants play memory games on a laptop while their brain signals are recorded, and sometimes small electrical pulses are used to try to improve memory. The goal is to find brain patterns linked to successful memory and see if stimulation can help people remember better.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2016
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government research agency
The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients who are considered for this protocol are those with medically intractable epilepsy and currently enrolled in 11-N-0051 Epilepsy Surgery. The patient population for this study is restricted to patients with medically intractable epilepsy because they require surgery for their condition. All participants in this study will require invasive monitoring as part of a clinical evaluation that may lead to subsequent resection of an epileptogenic focus. Enrollment will be equitable among those individuals who meet the inclusion criteria and will not be based on race, ethnicity, or gender.
- 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: To be eligible for entry into the study, candidates must meet all the following criteria: * Be enrolled in 11-N-0051 Epilepsy Surgery. * Able to give informed consent. * Age greater than or equal to 18 years and less than or equal to 65 years EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Candidates will be excluded if they: -Have any disability that would limit their ability to perform study tasks that examine memory function.
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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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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can lavender and lullabies help kids with epilepsy sleep better?
- 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