Scientists probe Brain's hidden alarm system in epilepsy patients
NCT ID NCT06934356
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 11, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study looks at how the brain's arousal systems work when we see, hear, or feel things. Researchers will use brain scans, eye tracking, and electrical recordings in healthy volunteers and epilepsy patients. The goal is to understand shared brain pathways that help us stay alert and aware.
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 research could improve understanding of how the brain processes sensory information, potentially aiding future treatments for epilepsy or other neurological conditions.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage observational study, not a treatment trial. Results may not directly lead to new therapies, and findings might not apply to all people.
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 202 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2025
- 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.
- Ages
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13 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.
A. The following are the inclusion/exclusion criteria for healthy participants age 18 years and up (Aim 1 and 2): Inclusion: (1) normal vision with or without the use of corrective lenses; (2) normal hearing not needing an assistive hearing device. Exclusion: (1) past history of diagnosis of a psychiatric or neurologic disease; (2) current psychiatric or neurologic disease; (3) requires hard contact lenses or glasses to maintain normal vision (prevents accurate pupil and eye gaze measurements); (4) pregnant or nonremovable ferrous metal objects inside or on the body (prevents MRI). B. The following are the inclusion/exclusion criteria for epilepsy patients with thalamic electrodes age 13 years and up (Aim 3A): Inclusion: (1) normal vision with or without the use of corrective lenses Exclusion: (1) severe vision impairment even with correction preventing ability to see stimuli (prevents accurate pupil and eye gaze measurements); (2) unable to perform the perception task due to cognitive impairment. All participants must be capable of consenting for themselves. C. The following are the inclusion/exclusion criteria for epilepsy patients with thalamic electrodes age 18 year and up (Aim 3B): Inclusion: (1) normal vision with or without the use of corrective lenses; (2) A female subject must have a negative pregnancy test and if sexually active, must be using a reliable form of birth control for the duration of the trial, be surgically sterile, or be at least two years post-menopausal. Exclusion: (1) severe vision impairment even with correction preventing ability to see stimuli (prevents accurate pupil and eye gaze measurements); (2) unable to perform the perception task due to cognitive impairment. All participants must be capable of consenting for themselves; (3) Pregnancy.
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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
8 sites. 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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Baylor College of Medicine
RECRUITINGHouston, Texas, 77030, United States
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Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
RECRUITINGLebanon, New Hampshire, 03756, United States
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Massachusetts General Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
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Mayo Clinic
RECRUITINGRochester, Minnesota, 55901, United States
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University of Kansas Medical Center
RECRUITINGKansas City, Kansas, 66160, United States
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University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260, United States
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center
RECRUITINGNashville, Tennessee, 37235, United States
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Yale School of Medicine
RECRUITINGNew Haven, Connecticut, 06520, 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