Clinical Research Directory

Cholinergic Enhancement of Theta

The goal of this study is to learn about the effects of Cobenfy KarXT (xanomeline and trospium chloride) on episodic memory processing, including specific effects on areas of the brain involved in memory and changes it may have on brain activity. The investigators will do this by testing epileptic patients who are already undergoing intracranial surgery for seizure monitoring, and measuring the activity from the brain areas being assessed. The main questions it aims to answer are 1) whether Cobenfy KarXT changes memory activity based on its agonist effect on muscarinic receptors and acetylcholine, and 2) what the nature of these brain activity changes are. This work builds on previous experiments evaluating cholinergic antagonists. Participants will complete two treatment arms. One of these will be with the drug, and the other will be with a placebo pill, so that the participants are unaware which session the actual drug has been received. Patients will complete a verbal serial recall and/or associative recognition task each of the two days. An anesthesiologist or patient nurse will administer either the drug or the placebo at a critical point which addresses both of the research questions. Researchers will compare the brain activity between the two treatment arms to determine what brain activity changes, and whether there is an additional behavioral effect on memory.

Investigating Epilepsy: Screening and Evaluation

Background: Epilepsy affects about 1 percent of the U.S. population. Most people with epilepsy respond well to medicine, but some do not. Researchers want people who have diagnosed or suspected epilepsy to participate in ongoing studies. They want to learn more about clinical care for epilepsy. They want fellows and residents to learn more about the care of people with epilepsy. Objectives: To learn more about seizures and find ways to best treat people with drug-resistant epilepsy. Eligibility: Adults and children ages 8 years and older with diagnosed or suspected epilepsy Design: Participants will be screened with: Physical exam Medical history Questionnaires Participants will have many visits. They may be admitted to the hospital for several weeks. Their medication might be stopped or changed. Participants will have many tests: Blood and urine tests EEG: Wires attached to the head with paste record brain waves. This may be videotaped. Thinking and memory tests MRI: Participants lie on a table that slides in and out of a tube. They perform simple tasks in the tube. MEG: Participants lie on a table and place their head in a helmet to record brain waves. PET scan: Participants lie on a table that slides into a machine. A small amount of radioactive dye is injected into their arm with an IV. For the IV, a small tube is inserted into the arm with a needle. Participants will stay enrolled in this study if they join other epilepsy-related studies. They may be contacted at intervals for follow-up. Their participation will end if they have not been seen clinically for their epilepsy for 3 years.

Study of the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of ZONISADE in Children 1 Month to 17 Years of Age With Partial-onset Seizures

The purpose of this research is to determine the optimal dose, safety and tolerability of zonisamide oral suspension in children ages 1 month to 17 years of age who have partial-onset (focal) seizures. The study consists of four periods: a Screening Period (about 14 days), a Titration Period (8 weeks), a Maintenance Period (4 weeks), and a Follow-Up Period (1 week).

Prophylactic Anti-Seizure Medication vs No Anti-Seizure Medication for Patients With Primary Motor Cortex Brain Metastases

This is a randomized trial for patients with brain metastases in the primary motor cortex who have not had seizures to receive either the prophylactic anti-seizure medication levetiracetam (also known by its trade name Keppra) or proceed with standard of care management, which does not currently include prophylactic levetiracetam. Patients who enroll to this trial will be randomized to receive prophylactic levetiracetam or not receive prophylactic levetiracetam.

Etiology and Treatment of Neonatal Seizure

Genetic diagnosis for neonates suffering from epilepsy has important implications for treatment, prognosis, and development of precision medicine strategies. Investigator performed exome sequencing (ES) or targeted sequencing on neonates with seizure onset within the first month of life. Investigator subgrouped our patients based on the onset age of seizure into neonatal and before 1 year (1-12 months), to compare the clinical and genetic features and treatment strategies.

A Study of the Effectiveness of Risk Minimization Measures Related to Depakine® (Sodium Valproate) in Saudi Arabia

A cross-sectional, national, multicenter, survey-based study to assess the effectiveness of Risk Minimization Measures related to Depakine® (sodium valproate) in Saudi Arabia. The end of study is defined as the end of the data collection period. No intervention will be administered, and no study related visits are required.

BHV-7000 Responsive Neurostimulation System (RNS) Study

This is an open label study to assess the biological effect of BHV-7000 on abnormal activity recorded by the RNS System in patients with focal epilepsy implanted with the RNS System. BHV-7000 is a potassium channel activator being evaluated for use in epilepsy. Participants are offered the drug for 4 weeks. Activity during that treatment period is compared to a 90-day retrospective baseline period in which other medications and device settings were stable, and also to a 4-week withdrawal period after treatment is discontinued. The study is open to patients with RNS regardless of whether they report clinical seizures, as long as the device recordings continue to show epileptiform activity.

Short Versus Long-term Levetiracetam in Brain Tumors

Levetiracetam is the commonly preferred anti-seizure medicine in patients with brain tumors. This drug has reduced the risk of seizure events occurring but is associated with a risk of side effects such as increased headache, drowsiness, loss of muscle coordination, and psychological challenges in patients. In patients undergoing appropriate treatment for brain tumors and controlled of seizures in the initial few months of levetiracetam, the chance of further seizures is relatively low. The optimal duration to give levetiracetam is not well defined for these patients, and currently as standard treatment levetiracetam is continued for 2-3 years. This study aims to answer this question by comparing patients on a short course of levetiracetam (experimental arm) versus a longer course of levetiracetam (standard arm), with the anticipation that a shorter duration of treatment will not lead to increased seizure episodes.

Epilepsy Watch After Vascular Events: Frequency, Outcomes, and Risk Markers

This research aims to determine the frequency of seizures in patients following a stroke, identify risk factors associated with post-stroke seizures, and characterize EEG changes linked to these seizures. Unexplored alterations in the aperiodic component of the EEG in post-stroke patients could potentially serve as novel biological markers for epilepsy after stroke.

LEvetiracetam to Prevent Seizures in Symptomatic Alzheimer's Disease in Adults With Down Syndrome

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether levetiracetam can prevent epileptic seizures in patients with Alzheimer's disease associated with Down syndrome. It will also analyze whether it can delay the neurodegeneration associated with this disease. Patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group will receive the active drug (levetiracetam), and the other will receive a placebo. Both groups will receive the treatment for 96 weeks. Each patient will participate for a total of 2 years and 5 months.

RNS System LGS Feasibility Study

To generate preliminary safety and effectiveness data for brain-responsive neurostimulation of thalamocortical networks as an adjunctive therapy in reducing the frequency of generalized seizures in individuals 12 years of age or older with Lennox Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) who are refractory to antiseizure medications. The intent is to determine the feasibility and the optimal design of a subsequent pivotal study in order to expand the indication for use for the RNS System as a treatment for patients with medically intractable LGS.

Clinical Profile And Outcomes Of Neonatal Convulsions In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit At Assiut University Children's Hospital

Neonatal convulsions are seizures that occur during the first 28 days of a newborn's life. They are considered a medical emergency and often indicate an underlying problem in the brain, such as lack of oxygen at birth, infections, metabolic disturbances, or structural abnormalities. Many seizures in newborns are subtle and difficult to detect without careful clinical assessment. This study aims to determine how often neonatal convulsions occur among newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Assiut University Children Hospital. It will describe how affected newborns present clinically, identify the main causes, and evaluate the early outcomes during hospitalization. The study is designed as a prospective cohort study. Newborns aged 0-30 days who are diagnosed with neonatal convulsions will be enrolled and followed throughout their stay in the NICU. Each patient will undergo full clinical evaluation and standard laboratory and imaging investigations, including blood tests, neuroimaging, and other tests as clinically indicated. The findings of this study will provide updated local data on the incidence, causes, and outcomes of neonatal convulsions in our region. This information may help improve early diagnosis, guide appropriate treatment, and enhance the quality of neonatal care.

Modulating Movement Intention Via Cortical Stimulation

The purpose of this protocol is to learn about movement intention and volition. To improve such knowledge, investigators will conduct sub-studies using multiple non-invasive methodologies. These results could provide preliminary data for subsequent studies evaluating local and global efficacy of plasticity-inducing treatments for PMD symptoms.

Acute Effects of Focused Ultrasound Modulation on EEG Behavior in Status Epilepticus Patients

In this study, the investigators propose Pulsed Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (PLIFU) stimulation of brain regions that modulate (thalamus) or generate focal motor seizures (primary motor cortex), with the goal of ameliorating seizure activity in subjects in non-convulsive or focal motor status epilepticus. The course of treatment will consist of an initial 10 minute PLIFU treatment session with an option for a 2nd session if necessary. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether PLIFU reduces or suppresses epileptic activity in patients with Non-Convulsive Status Epilepticus (NCSE)/Focal Motor Status Epilepticus (FMSE) that have not responded to standard of care.

Ear-Seizure Detection (EarSD) Study

The proposed study is an investigator-initiated study that aims to measure the accuracy of a wearable seizure detection and prediction device (Ear-Seizure Detection Device (EarSD)) by simultaneous recording with conventional video-EEG (Electroencephalogram) on patients with epileptic seizures in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit of the hospital.

Longitudinal Study of Neurogenetic Disorders

The purpose of this study is to analyze patterns in individuals with hnRNP (and other) genetic variants, including their neurological comorbidities, other medical problems and any treatment. The investigators will maintain an ongoing database of medical data that is otherwise being collected for routine medical care. The investigators will also collect data prospectively in the form of questionnaires, neuropsychological assessments, motor assessments, and electroencephalography to examine the landscape of deleterious variants in these genes.

Oxygen Toxicity: Mechanisms in Humans

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the mechanisms of oxygen toxicity in scuba divers. The main questions it aims to answer are: * How does the training of respiratory muscles affect oxygen toxicity? * How do environmental factors, such as sleep deprivation, the ingestion of commonly utilized medications, and chronic exposure to carbon dioxide, impact the risk of oxygen toxicity? * How does immersion in water affect the development of oxygen toxicity? Participants will be asked to do the following: * Undergo a basic screening exam composed of health history, vital signs, and some respiratory function tests * Train their respiratory muscles at regular intervals * Exercise on a cycle ergometer both in dry conditions and underwater/under pressure in the context of medication, sleep deprivation, or carbon dioxide exposure Researchers will compare the performance of each subject before and after the possible interventions described above to see if there are changes in exercise performance, respiratory function, cerebral blood flow, and levels of gene expression.

Pharmacological Modulation of Brain Oscillations in Memory Processing

The goal of this study is to learn about the effects of scopolamine (an anticholinergic drug) on areas of the brain involved in memory, and changes it may have on brain activity. The investigators will do this by testing epileptic patients who are already undergoing intracranial surgery for seizure monitoring, and measuring the activity from the brain areas being assessed. The main questions it aims to answer are 1) whether scopolamine changes memory activity solely at encoding (the time when the person perceives and determines to remember an item or event) as has previously been found, or if it also can selectively impact retrieval (when the item or event which has been processed is recalled or remembered), and 2) what the nature of the brain activity changes is. Participants will complete two treatment arms. One of these will be with the drug, and the other will be with a saline solution, so that the participants are unaware which session the actual drug has been received. Patients will complete a verbal and/or spatial task each of the two days. An anesthesiologist will administer either the drug or the saline at a critical point which addresses both of the research questions. Researchers will compare the brain activity between the two treatment arms to determine what brain activity changes, and at what time point during memory formation.

Pediatric Dose Optimization for Seizures in Emergency Medical Services

The Pediatric Dose Optimization for Seizures in Emergency Medical Services (PediDOSE) study is designed to improve how paramedics treat seizures in children on ambulances. Seizures are one of the most common reasons why people call an ambulance for a child, and paramedics typically administer midazolam to stop the seizure. One-third of children with active seizures on ambulances arrive at emergency departments still seizing. Prior research suggests that seizures on ambulances continue due to under-dosing and delayed delivery of medication. Under-dosing happens when calculation errors occur, and delayed medication delivery occurs due to the time required for dose calculation and placement of an intravenous line to give the medication. Seizures stop quickly when standardized medication doses are given as a muscular injection or a nasal spray. This research has primarily been done in adults, and evidence is needed to determine if this is effective and safe in children. PediDOSE optimizes how paramedics choose the midazolam dose by eliminating calculations and making the dose age-based. This study involves changing the seizure treatment protocols for ambulance services in 20 different cities, in a staggered and randomly-assigned manner. One aim of PediDOSE is to determine if using age to select one of four standardized doses of midazolam and giving it as a muscular injection or nasal spray is more effective than the current calculation-based method, as measured by the number of children arriving at emergency departments still seizing. The investigators believe that a standardized seizure protocol with age-based doses is more effective than current practice. Another aim of PediDOSE is to determine if a standardized seizure protocol with age-based doses is just as safe as current practice, since either ongoing seizures or receiving too much midazolam can interfere with breathing. The investigators believe that a standardized seizure protocol with age-based doses is just as safe as current practice, since the seizures may stop faster and these doses are safely used in children in other healthcare settings. If this study demonstrates that standardized, age-based midazolam dosing is equally safe and more effective in comparison to current practice, the potential impact of this study is a shift in the treatment of pediatric seizures that can be easily implemented in ambulance services across the United States and in other parts of the world.

Genetic Markers of Cardiovascular Disease in Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common condition which affects over 3 million people in the US. Patients with uncontrolled epilepsy have a lifetime risk of sudden unexpected death (SUDEP) of 35%, which is greatest in those under 40 years of age. The exact mechanisms and causes are not understood but can be due to underlying conditions which affect the heart and brain, which may lead to dangerous heart rhythms and death. Some of these conditions which affect heart and brain have an identifiable genetic cause. This study aims to identify known genetic causes of heart rhythm and sudden death related disorders in patients with epilepsy.

Epidemiology Study on Neonatal Seizure

A Multicentre, observational and cohort study to get the incidence of new-onset or newly-diagnosed seizure in neonatal population. EEG will used to record the change of brain electric activity and diagnose. Other data also will be collected since first seizure until confirmed diagnosis.

Seizure Identification on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

The aim of this project is to assess the ability of different groups of National Heath Service (NHS) professionals to correctly identify clinical seizures, and distinguish them from other movements commonly seen in the ICU environment, when shown digital video recordings only. Patients on the ICU are at risk of having seizures, however also commonly make other movements, including shivering, jerking, tics and tremors. An Electroencephalogram (EEG) records the brain wave activity and can help distinguish epileptic seizures from other movements. In a study by Bendadis et al (2010), 52 video-EEGs were reviewed containing "possible seizures" on the ICU. They found only 27% recorded actual epileptic events, with the other 73% having a range of other movements. Malone et al (2009) studied accuracy of diagnosis of 20 video recordings of clinical episodes on the neonatal unit, comparing different staff groups. They found no significant difference between Doctors and Nurses in correctly identifying seizures, however found that accuracy of diagnosis was generally poor. Clinical scientists are currently expanding their roles and responsibilities across Neurophysiology, including giving consultant-level advice on EEG investigations. EEG recordings on the ICU are often obscured by excessive, unavoidable electrical/movement artefacts caused by equipment such ventilators and pumps, and patient factors such as position, breathing artefact and suctioning. These make the EEG difficult to interpret (Boggs 2021). Assessing the clinical signs and symptoms which we may see in ICU patients, in the absence of interpretable EEG, is an essential skill. This study aims to assess Clinical Scientists skills at clinical interpretation, in comparison with other staff groups in the ICU setting. Staff will be asked to watch video clips of events captured in the ICU, and tell us whether they think they are seizures or not, and explain their thought process behind the decision.

Early Post-Traumatic Seizures Prevention Trial (E-PTS Trial)

Rationale/gaps in existing knowledge: The prophylaxis for post-traumatic seizures (PTS) remains controversial due to a lack of class I evidence. Investigators plan to conduct a high-quality, prospective, multicentric, randomized study regarding seizure prophylaxis in traumatic brain injury (TBI) with phenytoin, levetiracetam, and the placebo in three respective treatment groups, along with the effect of drug polymorphism on seizure occurrence. Novelty: Literature is scarce regarding the ideal management of early PTS in traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major public health problem. Further, no study has evaluated the effect of genetic polymorphism on seizure occurrence in traumatic brain injury. This Multicentric study will be the first of its kind, not only in India but also globally. Objectives: To evaluate the seizure incidence \& efficacy of the respective anti-epileptic drug in each treatment arm. Assessment of clinical \& functional outcomes, safety profile, and cost-effectiveness in each group. Effect of genetic polymorphisms on seizure incidence among study participants Methods: A Multicentric prospective randomized placebo-controlled double-blinded clinical trial is planned. After satisfying eligibility criteria and informed consent, TBI patients will be randomly allocated into three arms 'phenytoin arm', 'levetiracetam arm', and 'placebo'. Drug polymorphism will be analyzed in all the patients using quantitative real-time PCR. Expected outcome: This study will provide high-quality evidence in PTS management and will establish the role of prophylactic anti-epileptics in PTS. This study also opens the plethora of undesignated roles of genetic polymorphism in the efficacy and safety of levetiracetam and phenytoin in traumatic brain injury patients.

Investigate Efficacy and Safety of Carisbamate as Adjunctive Treatment for Seizures Associated With LGS in Children and Adults

The primary objective is to evaluate the efficacy of carisbamate (YKP509) as adjunctive treatment in reducing the number of drop seizures (tonic, atonic, and tonic-clonic) compared with placebo in pediatric and adult subjects (age 4-55 years) diagnosed with Lennox Gastaut Syndrome (LGS).