Could an infrared hat tame epilepsy seizures?
NCT ID NCT07145489
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a hat that shines infrared light on the head for 30 minutes each day. The goal is to see if it can safely reduce seizures in people with drug-resistant epilepsy. Thirteen adults will try it for six months, and researchers will track seizure changes and comfort.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- infrared light hat (photobiomodulation device)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive, drug-free way to reduce seizures for people with drug-resistant epilepsy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early pilot study with only 13 people and no placebo group. It may not reduce seizures, and daily use might be uncomfortable or impractical.
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 13 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- 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: * Drug resistant epilepsy * Age 18 or older * Average seizure rate of at least 2 seizures per month * Accurate seizure diary with at least 3 months recorded Exclusion Criteria: * Implanted intracranial neurostimulation device (DBS or RNS) * Intracranial shunt * Skin photosensitivity * Cancer on scalp * Taking any medication that can cause photosensitivity
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Get notified about this study
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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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BIDMC
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Ketamine, long used as an anesthetic, tested as a seizure treatment
- Sound waves aimed at the brain may quiet temporal lobe seizures
- Can a new implant tame seizures when drugs fail?
- Can a High-Fat diet and therapy tame seizures in rare childhood epilepsy?
- Zapping the brain without surgery: a new hope for Tough-to-Treat epilepsy
- Nerve block may cut opioid needs after epilepsy device surgery