Scientists zap brains to unlock secrets of memory and navigation
NCT ID NCT04874220
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study uses deep brain stimulation and recordings to understand how the brain navigates real and virtual spaces. Seventy participants with implanted RNS systems will perform memory tasks in VR, AR, and real-world settings. The goal is to link brain activity, body movements, and memory performance to improve future treatments for memory disorders.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Deep brain stimulation
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could reveal how deep brain stimulation improves memory and navigation, pointing toward future treatments for memory loss.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage observational study with only 70 participants. It is designed to understand brain activity, not to test a treatment, so direct benefits are uncertain.
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 70 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2020
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2026
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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12 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * 12 years of age or older and has undergone RNS system placement * Willing to provide informed consent and participate the study * Ability to read and write English fluently Exclusion Criteria: * Unwilling to provide informed consent
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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
2 sites. 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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Duke University
RECRUITINGDurham, North Carolina, 27705, United States
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University of California, Los Angeles
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90024, United States
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