Brain recordings reveal secrets of language processing
NCT ID NCT05014841
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study records brain activity from people with epilepsy or brain tumors who already have electrodes implanted for medical reasons. Participants listen to short speech sounds in English, Spanish, or Mandarin while their brain signals are measured. The goal is to understand how the brain processes different languages, which could help develop better treatments for language disorders.
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 point toward better diagnostic and rehabilitation strategies for language disorders like aphasia or dyslexia.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage observational study with only 52 participants, so findings may not apply broadly. It does not test a treatment.
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 52 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2015
- Expected to finish
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Aug 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 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: * Participants with epilepsy or brain tumors at UCSF undergoing surgical electrode implantation for seizure localization or for speech and language mapping and * Participants with electrodes implanted in at least two regions of interest who are willing and able to cooperate with study tasks. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants who lack capacity or decline to provide informed consent, * Participants who have significant cerebral lesions or * Participants with cognitive deficits that preclude reliable completion of study tasks.
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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
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, 94143, United States
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