Scientists map hidden nerve wires to make epilepsy treatment safer
NCT ID NCT05664854
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study aims to create a detailed map of the vagus nerve's internal wiring during routine epilepsy surgery. Researchers will use special electrode cuffs to stimulate different parts of the nerve and record which organs respond, while also taking quick electrical images. The goal is to understand how to stimulate only the right nerve bundles to treat epilepsy without causing side effects like voice changes or heart problems. Fifty adults already scheduled for vagus nerve stimulator implantation will take part.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Nerve cuff electrodes for stimulation and imaging
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to more precise vagus nerve stimulation with fewer side effects for conditions like epilepsy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small study (50 people) focused on mapping, not treatment. It may not lead to better devices or outcomes.
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 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jul 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 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.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age over 18 * Written informed consent by patient or proxy * Clinical diagnosis of disorder affected directly or indirectly or will possibly respond to vagus nerve stimulation Exclusion Criteria: * Aged 17 and below * Unfortunately, it is unlikely that interpreters of all languages will be available in the unit so persons who cannot understand verbal explanation in English and for whom we could not find a suitable consultee would have to be excluded from the study.
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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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National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery
RECRUITINGLondon, Greater London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
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