MEG Versus EEG HR for the Localization of the Epileptogenic Zone as Part of the Pre-surgical Assessment of Epilepsy

NCT ID: NCT03893916

Last Updated: 2026-01-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 100 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-10-25
• Study Completion Date: 2029-04-25

Brief Summary

Drug-resistant partial epilepsies are disabling diseases for which surgical treatment may be indicated. The determination of the area to be operated (or 'epileptogenic zone') is based on a bundle of clinical arguments and neuroimaging, having a direct impact on surgical success.

Epileptic patients have electrical abnormalities that can be detected with surface electrophysiological examinations such as surface EEG or MagnetoEncephalography (MEG). The intracerebral source of these abnormalities can be localized in the brain using source modeling techniques from MEG signals or EEG signals if a sufficient number of electrodes is used (> 100, so-called high EEG technique Resolution = EEG HR). EEG HR and MEG are two infrequent state-of-the-art techniques.

The independent contribution of EEG HR and MEG for the localization of the epileptogenic zone has been shown in several studies. However, several modeling studies have shown that MEG and EEG HR have a different detection capacity and spatial resolution depending on the cortical generators studied. Modeling studies suggest that MEG has better localization accuracy than EEG for most cortical sources.

No direct comparison of the locating value of MEG and EEG HR for the localization of the epileptogenic zone has been performed to date in a large-scale clinical study.

In this prospective study, 100 patients with partial epilepsy who are candidates for epilepsy surgery, and for some of them with intracranial EEG recording, will benefit from two advanced electrophysiological examinations including magnetoencephalographic recording (MEG). ) interictal electrophysiological abnormalities and high-resolution EEG recording (128 electrodes) in addition to the usual examinations performed as part of the pre-surgical assessment, prior to cortectomy and / or intracranial EEG recording.

Based on recent work conducted in humans, we postulate:

• that the MEG and the EEG HR make it possible to precisely determine the epileptogenic zone, by using two approaches of definition of the epileptogenic zone (zone operated in the cured patients, zone at the origin of the crises during the intracranial recordings), but that the MEG is a little more precise than the EEG HR for the determination of the epileptogenic zone (we will try to highlight a difference of about 10%)
• that the quantitative study of the complementarity between EEG HR and MEG for modeling sources of epileptic spikes will show an added value in the use of both methods compared to the use of only one of the two methods
• that it is possible to determine the epileptogenic zone by determining the MEG model zone having the highest centrality value (hub) within the intercritical network by studying networks using graph theory.

Conditions

Drug-resistant Epilepsy; Candidates for Surgical Treatment; Epilepsy

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

cohort

MEG - EEG HR

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

MEG - EEG HR

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

MEG : Magnetoencephalography is the study of the magnetic fields produced by the electrical activity of the brain.

MEG signals are obtained while the patient is placed in a device specific to this technique. The latter comprises a recording chamber, recording sensors which are placed in a cryostat and an electronic measuring system. The magnetic fields are measured while the subject is placed in a shielded magnetic chamber protecting it from variations in the ambient magnetic field (displacement of metal masses, sector ...).

EEG HR: High Resolution EEG is defined as the recording of cerebral electrical activity with 128 electroencephalographic electrodes and with high temporal resolution usually followed by the use of source localization tools. The HR EEG is therefore derived from standard EEG techniques, but requires a higher number of electrodes and the use of source localization tools.

Interventions

MEG - EEG HR

MEG : Magnetoencephalography is the study of the magnetic fields produced by the electrical activity of the brain.

MEG signals are obtained while the patient is placed in a device specific to this technique. The latter comprises a recording chamber, recording sensors which are placed in a cryostat and an electronic measuring system. The magnetic fields are measured while the subject is placed in a shielded magnetic chamber protecting it from variations in the ambient magnetic field (displacement of metal masses, sector ...).

EEG HR: High Resolution EEG is defined as the recording of cerebral electrical activity with 128 electroencephalographic electrodes and with high temporal resolution usually followed by the use of source localization tools. The HR EEG is therefore derived from standard EEG techniques, but requires a higher number of electrodes and the use of source localization tools.

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• patients with partial epilepsy for at least 2 years and for whom are decided and planned: either i) a surgical procedure to resect the epileptogenic zone without prior intracranial EEG recording either ii) an intracranial EEG record needed before a possible cortectomy procedure
• Routine scalp EEG revealing known paroxysmal interictal abnormalities (at least 5 points on a 20-minute plot performed less than 2 years before inclusion in the study)
• Patient giving written consent

Exclusion Criteria

• patient aged over 60 or under 18
• patients with contraindications to brain MRI and MEG
• women of childbearing age for whom a urine pregnancy test performed during the first visit would detect a pregnancy

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 60 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Hospices Civils de Lyon

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Julien JUNG, Dr

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Hospices Civils de Lyon

Locations

Hospices Civils de Lyon

Bron, , France

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

France

Central Contacts

Julien JUNG, Dr

Role: CONTACT

julien.jung@chu-lyon.fr

04 72 35 79 00

Camille GIRAUDON

Role: CONTACT

camille.giraudon@chu-lyon.fr

04 26 73 94 38 ext. +33

Facility Contacts

Julien JUNG, MD

Role: primary

Other Identifiers

2018-A02452-53

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

69HCL18_0134

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id