Could a seizure pill boost memory in Alzheimer's? UCLA launches new trial
NCT ID NCT05899764
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase study tests whether brivaracetam, a seizure medication, can calm overactive brain areas and improve thinking in 25 adults aged 45–70 with mild Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment. Participants will have brain activity monitored via scalp and depth electrodes. The goal is to see if reducing abnormal electrical activity can ease memory and attention problems.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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About 25 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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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45 to 70 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: * Meet research criteria for mild cognitive impairment (Albert et al. 2011) or Alzheimer's disease (McKhann et al. 2011) with high biomarker probability of Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology * Ages 45 to 70 * Epileptic activity and/or pHFOs in temporal or fronto-temporal electrodes * Willing and able informant who has at least weekly contact with subject * Mini-Mental State Examination score of 18 or greater and/or Clinical Dementia Rating less than 2. These two examinations will be obtained from their participation in UCLA IRB#21-001603 or will be collected if subjects are referred by a clinician. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Risk factors for epileptic activity besides neurodegenerative disease 2. Concurrent use of antiseizure medications 3. Severe periventricular white matter disease 4. Clinically significant lacunar infarcts 5. Anticoagulant use 6. Significant systemic medical illness: * History of Korsakoff's syndrome * Alcohol or substance abuse preceding dementia \& still present within 5 years of onset * Untreated vitamin B12 or folate deficiency * History of head trauma with persistent deficits * Untreated syphilis * History of multiple sclerosis or another neuro-inflammatory disorder * History of vascular or multi-infarct dementia * Diagnosis of Huntington's disease * History of normal pressure hydrocephalus * History of CNS lesions deemed to be clinically significant * Unresolved or present subdural hematoma * History of intracerebral hemorrhage * Systematic liver disease * Renal insufficiency requiring dialysis * Encephalitis or meningitis * Severe white matter disease as defined by a score of 3 on the age-related white matter changes scale * Lacunar infarcts deemed to be clinically significant * Cortical stroke * Respiratory condition requiring oxygen * Untreated hypothyroidism 7. Any other medical condition which is determined by the investigators to potentially create an undue risk for an adverse event 8. Use of medications likely to affect CNS functions (e.g., benzodiazepines, narcotics). Patients are allowed to take cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine as long as the dosage is stable for 30 days prior to study entry.
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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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Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Research and Care
Los Angeles, California, 90095-1769, United States
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