Scientists zap brains to unlock language secrets
NCT ID NCT05283265
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study looks at how the brain makes sense of sentences. Researchers will record brain activity from electrodes already placed in the brains of people with epilepsy for medical reasons. Participants read or listen to sentences word by word and pick a picture that matches. In some trials, a tiny electrical pulse is delivered to the brain to see if it changes understanding. The goal is to map the brain regions involved in language, not to treat any condition.
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 could help scientists understand which brain areas are critical for understanding sentences, potentially guiding future treatments for language disorders.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage observational study in people with epilepsy, so results may not apply to everyone. The brain stimulation is exploratory and may not produce clear effects.
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 153 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2022
- Expected to finish
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Oct 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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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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 and older * Undergoing standard of care stereo Electro Encephalogram (sEEG) or Electro-Corticogram (ECoG) monitoring * Able to competently perform control trials of the task Exclusion Criteria: * Age less than 18 years * Unable to competently perform control trials of the task
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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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The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital
RECRUITINGBirmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- 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