Electric fields aimed deep inside the brain without surgery – a new way to study the mind
NCT ID NCT07663578
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study explores how a technique called Temporally Interfering Electric Fields Stimulation (TIEFS) affects brain activity and thinking. TIEFS uses electrodes on the scalp to send electrical currents that can reach deep brain areas without surgery. Researchers will test it in adults with epilepsy who already have brain monitoring implants, as well as in healthy volunteers. Participants complete thinking tasks and have their brain signals recorded during brief stimulation sessions.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Temporal Interference Electrical Stimulation (TIEFS)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could pave the way for a non-surgical brain stimulation treatment for epilepsy and other neurological conditions.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-stage study focused on measuring brain signals, not treating disease. The approach may not produce clear or clinically useful results.
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
-
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
-
About 15 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Apr 2025
- Expected to finish
-
Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
18 to 65 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Adult patients (age 18-65 years of age) undergoing an intracerebral electrophysiology study for epilepsy pre-surgical evaluation are eligible for inclusion. * For healthy control subjects are also eligible for inclusion (Scalp EEG measurements). * Participants must be able to sufficiently speak and understand English or Spanish for consent and be able to understand and complete cognitive tasks. * All subjects must have the ability to give valid informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * No pregnant women will be recruited. * People with implanted electrical devices such as Deep Brain Stimulation devices or Pacemakers. * No prisoners will be recruited.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Epilepsy are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
University of California Davis Medical Center
RECRUITINGSacramento, California, 95817, 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