Thalamic Recordings in Children Undergoing SEEG

NCT ID: NCT06453759

Last Updated: 2026-02-02

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

30 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-09-01

Study Completion Date

2028-12-31

Brief Summary

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Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) forms a key part of the pre-surgical evaluation in children who may be candidates for epilepsy surgery. It can help delineate the location of the putative epileptogenic zone, guiding further treatments including resective, disconnective and ablative epilepsy surgery techniques. However, less than 35% of children undergoing SEEG end up becoming seizure free following further treatment.

Open and closed loop stimulation of thalamic nuclei via deep brain stimulation (DBS) and responsive neurostimulation (RNS) are emerging treatment options for epilepsy. Thalamic target nuclei vary between studies and there are currently no gold standard personalised methods for choosing a target. This stems from the limited systematic neurophysiological recordings from thalamic nuclei; investigators currently do not understand the ictal and interictal thalamic signatures of involvement in epilepsy and do not understand how functional connectivity can be altered within and between patients.

In this prospective study, the investigators aim to recruit 30 patients undergoing SEEG as part of their pre-surgical evaluation for drug resistant epilepsy at Great Ormond Street Hospital over a period of 3 years. Once recruited, the investigators will target 3 nuclei bilaterally in each patient - the anterior, centromedian and pulvinar nuclei - using additional SEEG electrodes. Following clinical recording, the investigators will conduct two stimulation experiments, the first using single pulse electrical stimulation to measure effective connectivity between the thalamus and cortical regions and the second to study the effects of simulated DBS currents on cortical local field potential signatures.

This study will lay the foundation for a personalised approach to thalamic neuromodulation for drug-resistant epilepsy by identifying neurophysiological biomarkers of thalamic involvement in epilepsy, paving the way for closed loop neuromodulation strategies that aim to optimise response using these biomarkers.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Focal Epilepsy

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Thalamic SEEG

The centromedian, anterior and pulvinar nuclei on each side will be chosen as target for new electrodes.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Additional electrodes into bilateral anterior, centromedian and pulvinar thalamic nuclei

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

The centromedian, anterior and pulvinar nuclei on each side will be chosen as target for new electrodes; up to 6 additional electrodes may be added but, where possible, existing electrode trajectories will be extended to facilitate recording.

At the beginning of the recording process, usually within the first 24-48 hours of implantation, we will conduct 2 study-specific stimulation experiments:

1. Single pulse electrical stimulation (SPES):
2. N-of-1 trials of simulated DBS: We will simulate high (130Hz) and low (6Hz) frequency DBS currents from each pair of thalamic nuclei (always bilateral) and record spontaneous interictal neuronal activity in all other cortical contacts for 15 minutes. We will also record SPES from each of the cortical contacts.

Interventions

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Additional electrodes into bilateral anterior, centromedian and pulvinar thalamic nuclei

The centromedian, anterior and pulvinar nuclei on each side will be chosen as target for new electrodes; up to 6 additional electrodes may be added but, where possible, existing electrode trajectories will be extended to facilitate recording.

At the beginning of the recording process, usually within the first 24-48 hours of implantation, we will conduct 2 study-specific stimulation experiments:

1. Single pulse electrical stimulation (SPES):
2. N-of-1 trials of simulated DBS: We will simulate high (130Hz) and low (6Hz) frequency DBS currents from each pair of thalamic nuclei (always bilateral) and record spontaneous interictal neuronal activity in all other cortical contacts for 15 minutes. We will also record SPES from each of the cortical contacts.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. All children undergoing SEEG as part of their pre-surgical evaluation at GOSH
2. Participants/parents/legal guardian provide informed consent for inclusion

Exclusion Criteria

1\) Lack of informed consent
Minimum Eligible Age

2 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

20 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

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Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

London, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United Kingdom

Central Contacts

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Aswin Chari, PhD

Role: CONTACT

07726780817

Martin Tisdall, MD

Role: CONTACT

Facility Contacts

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Aswin Chari, PhD

Role: primary

07726780817

Other Identifiers

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23BI31

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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