New brain stimulation method may sharpen epilepsy surgery planning
NCT ID NCT03738072
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at whether using different electrical stimulation frequencies can better pinpoint where seizures start in the brains of people with epilepsy that doesn't respond to medication. Twenty patients who already need brain electrodes as part of their surgical workup will receive both standard and new stimulation patterns. The goal is to see if the new approach helps doctors plan more effective surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- intracerebral electrical stimulation
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could improve how doctors map seizure zones in the brain, leading to more precise epilepsy surgery and better outcomes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 20 participants. It focuses on improving a diagnostic procedure, not a treatment, so direct patient benefits are uncertain.
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 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2018
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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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12 to 65 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: * all patients undergoing a stereo-electro-encephalography (SEEG), age 12 to 65 years old. Exclusion Criteria: * usual excluding criteria for a SEEG.
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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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CHU de Toulouse
RECRUITINGToulouse, 3100, France
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