Massive genetic study aims to unlock Epilepsy's secrets
NCT ID NCT01858285
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital are recruiting 5,000 people with epilepsy to study their genes. By comparing DNA from patients and their parents, they hope to find genetic changes linked to epilepsy. This study does not test a new drug or treatment, but aims to better understand why epilepsy varies so much from person to person.
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 study could reveal new genetic causes of epilepsy, helping to explain why symptoms differ among patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational genetic study, not a treatment trial. It may not directly lead to new therapies, and findings may take years to apply.
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.
- Participants
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About 5,000 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Start date
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Nov 2010
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2030
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.
Who is studied
Individuals with epilepsy. Age and epilepsy type variable.
- Ages
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- 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: diagnosis of epilepsy, patient at Boston Children's Hospital exclusion: existing genetic diagnosis or known cause for epilepsy, structural malformation of the brain, not seen at Boston Children's Hospital
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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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Boston Children's Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02115, 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