Focal EpilepsyNCT07580183
Spatial Scene Recognition Memory in Epilepsy Surgery
A study testing Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task, Intracranial EEG Recording with Research Electrodes (Aim III only) and MRI Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Assessment (Aim I) in people with Focal Epilepsy and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, run by University of California, Davis at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
This study investigates the anatomical and physiological basis of spatial scene recognition memory in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and temporal lobe lesions. Standard neuropsychological tests are insensitive to important memory deficits experienced by patients, particularly in spatial/scene memory… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 55 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Focal Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Medically Refractory Epilepsy
- What is being tested?
- Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task, Intracranial EEG Recording with Research Electrodes (Aim III only) and MRI Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Assessment (Aim I)
- Type of treatment
- Medical device, Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 620 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Jul 2024to 30 Jun 2030
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 55 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 18 years or older
- For Aims I and III: Diagnosis of focal epilepsy or temporal lobe lesion; patients undergoing evaluation for or having undergone epilepsy surgery
- For Aim II: Healthy adult participants
- Full-Scale IQ ≥ 70
- English proficiency sufficient to understand and complete the task
- For Aim I: Enrolled in or eligible for Emory University epilepsy surgery research registry
- For Aim III: Undergoing clinically indicated stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) at UC Davis Medical Center
- Able to provide informed consent (or for Aim I retrospective component, prior consent in Emory registry)
Who cannot join
- Full-Scale IQ < 70
- Inability to provide informed consent
- For Aim III: Age > 55 years
- For Aim II: History of neurological or psychiatric disorder (as applicable per study protocol)
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States2 sites, 2 recruiting
- Recruiting
Emory University Hospital
Atlanta, Georgia, 30322
Daniel L Drane, PhD, 404-727-2844, ddrane@emory.edu
- Recruiting
UC Davis Medical Center
Sacramento, California, 95817
Nigel P Pedersen, MD, 916-734-3251, nppedersen@health.ucdavis.edu
About this study
Official title: Investigations of Spatial Recognition Memory to Improve Cognitive Outcomes in Epilepsy Surgery
This study investigates the anatomical and physiological basis of spatial scene recognition memory in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and temporal lobe lesions. Standard neuropsychological tests are insensitive to important memory deficits experienced by patients, particularly in spatial/scene memory, recollective experience, and familiarity processing. Using a validated virtual tour paradigm, the study examines how familiarity-based recognition and recall of spatial scenes relate to specific brain structures. In Aim I, a large cohort of patients with varied temporal lobe lesions at Emory University undergoes the virtual tour task with voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping to localize necessary brain regions. In Aim II, scalp event-related potentials and eye tracking in healthy participants at UC Davis characterize the temporal dynamics and lateralization of scene recognition. In Aim III, intracranial EEG recordings (including local field potentials and single-unit activity) in epilepsy surgery patients at UC Davis determine the precise network dynamics underlying spatial scene familiarity and recall. The long-term goal is to improve the prediction and prevention of cognitive morbidity from epilepsy surgery by providing a more complete model of spatial recognition memory circuits.
Read the detailed description
Recognition memory can be divided into familiarity (a sense that something has been encountered before) and recollection (identification or elaborative recall). Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy often report subjective memory difficulties that are not captured by conventional neuropsychological tests, which lack assessments of true episodic and scene memory. This study uses a virtual tour paradigm that objectively separates familiarity-based recognition from recall for spatial scenes. The central hypothesis is that spatial scene recognition memory critically involves the convergence of dorsal and ventral visual streams in the inferior parietal lobule and parahippocampal gyrus, with familiarity-based recognition involving neocortical structures and recall involving the parahippocampal gyrus, entorhinal cortices, and hippocampus. The study employs three complementary approaches: (1) lesion-symptom mapping in ~310 surgical patients and 150 controls, (2) scalp ERP and eye-tracking in 80 healthy participants, and (3) intracranial electrophysiology (LFP and single-unit recordings) in ~80 patients undergoing stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) for clinical seizure localization. Research electrodes (FDA-approved Dixi micro-macro or Behnke-Fried with tetrode components) are placed at clinically determined locations to additionally capture single-neuron activity. This study was classified as a Basic Experimental Studies in Humans (BESH) mechanism; it does not evaluate a health-related clinical outcome but uses clinical populations and FDA-approved research electrodes to study basic neuroscience questions about memory.
- Conditions
- Focal Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Medically Refractory Epilepsy, Memory Disorders, Epilepsy Comorbidities, Epilepsy Intractable
- Being tested
- Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task, Intracranial EEG Recording with Research Electrodes (Aim III only), MRI Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Assessment (Aim I)
- Keywords
- spatial memory, recognition memory, familiarity, recollection, neural circuits of memory, phenomenology of memory, scene memory, virtual tour, epilepsy surgery, SEEG, stereo-electroencephalography, lesion-symptom mapping, network-symptom mapping, cognitive electrophysiology, event-related potentials, intracranial EEG, iEEG, parahippocampal gyrus, perirhinal cortex, hippocampus
- Medical subject headings
- Epilepsies, Partial, Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe, Memory Disorders, Drug Resistant Epilepsy, Orientation, Spatial
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Virtual Tour Recognition Memory TaskBehavioural
Participants are passively navigated through virtual tour scenes (5-second video clips) during a study phase and are asked to generate descriptive names for each scene. During the test phase, they view novel, spatially similar (same configuration, different objects), or identical scenes and rate familiarity, indicate old/new judgments, report déjà vu sensations, and attempt to recall scene names. The task consists of two study-test blocks. This is a cognitive/behavioral assessment, not a therapeutic intervention.
Intracranial EEG Recording with Research Electrodes (Aim III only)Device
Patients undergoing clinically indicated stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) for seizure localization have electrodes implanted at locations determined solely by clinical need. In a subset of patients, FDA-approved research electrodes (Dixi micro-macro electrodes or Behnke-Fried As-Tech electrodes with tetrode components) substitute standard clinical electrodes at the same clinically determined locations. These electrodes have the same geometry as clinical electrodes and are FDA-approved. The tetrode component enables single-neuron recording for research purposes and adds no additional risk. Electrode placement is not altered by study participation. Local field potentials (LFP) and, where available, single-unit data are recorded during the virtual tour task and resting state.
MRI Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Assessment (Aim I)Diagnostic test
Pre- and post-surgical structural MRI (T1-weighted, diffusion-weighted imaging, resting-state fMRI) obtained as part of the clinical epilepsy surgery evaluation at Emory University. Extensive neuropsychological battery administered pre- and post-operatively (6 months and 1 year) including Wechsler memory scales, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, confrontation naming, and additional measures.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Aim I: Lesion-Symptom Mapping | Experimental | Patients with temporal lobe lesions (n≈310) and healthy controls (n≈150) at Emory University. Retrospective cohort with existing surgical lesions plus prospectively enrolled new surgical patients (~60 over 5 years).
Intervention(s): Behavioral: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task; Diagnostic: MRI neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment Receives: Behavioral: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task; Diagnostic Test: MRI Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Assessment (Aim I) |
| Aim II: Scalp ERP Study | Experimental | Healthy participants (n=80) recruited from UC Davis campus community. Intervention: Behavioral: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task (still-image version) during Scalp EEG/ERP recording and eye tracking Receives: Behavioral: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task |
| Aim III: Intracranial EEG | Experimental | Patients with epilepsy undergoing clinically indicated SEEG (n≈80) at UC Davis Medical Center.
Behavioral Intervention: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task; Other Intervention: Intracranial EEG recording via clinically placed electrodes, a minority of which have research microelectrodes (FDA-approved Dixi micro-macro or Behnke-Fried Ad-Tech electrodes) Receives: Behavioral: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task; Device: Intracranial EEG Recording with Research Electrodes (Aim III only) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Scene familiarity discrimination accuracy
Rate of correct familiarity judgments for spatially similar test scenes versus novel scenes (recognition without identification/RWI effect), measured as the proportion of "familiar" responses to configurally matched scenes minus false alarm rate to novel scenes.
Measured: From enrollment until the end of eight weeks, during which time testing is scheduled (Aim II), or during the hospitalization for invasive EEG studies (Aim III). Participants in Aim I can undergo repeat testing (six months, one year, etc.)
Scene recall accuracy
Proportion of test scenes for which participants correctly recall the name or identifying details of the corresponding study scene (verified recall), separately for identical repeat scenes and configurally similar scenes.
Measured: From enrollment until the end of eight weeks, during which time testing is scheduled (Aim II), or during the hospitalization for invasive EEG studies (Aim III). Participants in Aim I can undergo repeat testing (six months, one year, etc.)
Lesion-symptom correlation for familiarity and recall (Aim I)
Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VBLSM) correlating surgical lesion volumes in temporal lobe subregions (temporopolar, perirhinal, entorhinal, parahippocampal, hippocampal) with familiarity and recall behavioral scores.
Measured: Testing is scheduled within eight weeks of enrollment for all patients, with repeat testing at six and 12 months after surgery for those enrolled pre-operatively
ERP amplitude and latency associated with familiarity and recall (Aim II)
Amplitude and latency of event-related potential components (FN400, late positive component) in specified scalp regions (e.g., LAS, RAS, LPS, RPS) as a function of scene familiarity and recall conditions.
Measured: During EEG recording session
Intracranial theta and gamma power and connectivity during familiarity judgments (Aim III)
Theta (3-7 Hz) and gamma-band (30-150 Hz) event-related synchronization/desynchronization in parahippocampal, perirhinal, entorhinal, and hippocampal contacts during familiarity versus recall conditions, plus functional connectivity measures (imaginary coherence, phase-amplitude coupling).
Measured: During intracranial EEG monitoring (typically 1-2 weeks hospital stay)
Secondary outcomes (6)
Déjà vu report rate
Proportion of test trials in which participants report a feeling of déjà vu, analyzed by scene condition (similar, repeat, novel).
Measured: During testing sessions with the virtual tour
Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, Second Edition (VVIQ-2) scores (Aim I)
Self-reported vividness of visual imagery correlated with lesion location and recognition memory performance. The VVIQ-2 is a 32-item self-report questionnaire in which each item is rated on a scale from 1 (no image at all) to 5 (perfectly clear and vivid). Total scores range from 32 to 160. Higher scores indicate more vivid visual imagery.
Measured: During testing session
Hyperfamiliarity commission errors
Rate of false positive familiarity judgments for novel scenes (false alarms), as a measure of hyperfamiliarity.
Measured: During testing session
Neuropsychological test performance (Aim I)
Standard neuropsychological battery scores (Wechsler Memory Scale, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, confrontation naming, etc.) correlated with virtual tour performance and lesion characteristics.
Measured: Pre-surgery and 6 months / 1 year post-surgery
Single-unit firing rate (subset of patients in Aim III)
Mean firing rate (spikes per second) of individual neurons recorded from parahippocampal and perirhinal cortex during familiarity versus recall conditions, in patients with tetrode/microelectrode recordings.
Measured: During intracranial EEG monitoring
Single-unit stimulus selectivity (subset of patients in Aim III)
Selectivity index (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) quantifying the discriminability of familiar versus novel scene conditions in individual neurons recorded from parahippocampal and perirhinal cortex, in patients with tetrode/microelectrode recordings.
Measured: During intracranial EEG monitoring
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 May 2026
- Study start1 Jul 2024
- Primary completion30 Jun 2030 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jun 2030 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Focal EpilepsyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Note: Under the NIH clinical trial definition used at the time of submission (2024-2025), this study is classified as a clinical trial because participants are prospectively assigned to interventions (cognitive testing paradigms; in Aim III, research electrode recordings). However, the primary purpose is basic science - understanding the neural basis of memory - not evaluating a clinical/health outcome.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 620 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Davis
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Emory University
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Nigel P. Pedersen, BSc MBBS, University of California, Davis
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07580183
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2347891
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 30 Apr 2026
- Last updated
- 12 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: De-identified behavioral data, EEG/ERP data, and intracranial electrophysiology data will be shared via OpenNeuro and Emory Dataverse upon reasonable request. Identifiable data will remain at collection sites.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 12 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Investigations of Spatial Recognition Memory to Improve Cognitive Outcomes in Epilepsy Surgery
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07580183
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2347891
- Conditions
- Focal Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Medically Refractory Epilepsy, Memory Disorders, Epilepsy Comorbidities, Epilepsy Intractable
- Keywords
- spatial memory, recognition memory, familiarity, recollection, neural circuits of memory, phenomenology of memory, scene memory, virtual tour
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 620 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, DavisUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Emory University
- Study start
- 1 Jul 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2030 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2030 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 May 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study investigates the anatomical and physiological basis of spatial scene recognition memory in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and temporal lobe lesions. Standard neuropsychological tests are insensitive to important memory deficits experienced by patients, particularly in spatial/scene memory, recollective experience, and familiarity processing. Using a validated virtual tour paradigm, the study examines how familiarity-based recognition and recall of spatial scenes relate to specific brain structures. In Aim I, a large cohort of patients with varied temporal lobe lesions at Emory University undergoes the virtual tour task with voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping to localize necessary brain regions. In Aim II, scalp event-related potentials and eye tracking in healthy participants at UC Davis characterize the temporal dynamics and lateralization of scene recognition. In Aim III, intracranial EEG recordings (including local field potentials and single-unit activity) in epilepsy surgery patients at UC Davis determine the precise network dynamics underlying spatial scene familiarity and recall. The long-term goal is to improve the prediction and prevention of cognitive morbidity from epilepsy surgery by providing a more complete model of spatial recognition memory circuits.
Detailed description
Recognition memory can be divided into familiarity (a sense that something has been encountered before) and recollection (identification or elaborative recall). Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy often report subjective memory difficulties that are not captured by conventional neuropsychological tests, which lack assessments of true episodic and scene memory. This study uses a virtual tour paradigm that objectively separates familiarity-based recognition from recall for spatial scenes. The central hypothesis is that spatial scene recognition memory critically involves the convergence of dorsal and ventral visual streams in the inferior parietal lobule and parahippocampal gyrus, with familiarity-based recognition involving neocortical structures and recall involving the parahippocampal gyrus, entorhinal cortices, and hippocampus. The study employs three complementary approaches: (1) lesion-symptom mapping in ~310 surgical patients and 150 controls, (2) scalp ERP and eye-tracking in 80 healthy participants, and (3) intracranial electrophysiology (LFP and single-unit recordings) in ~80 patients undergoing stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) for clinical seizure localization. Research electrodes (FDA-approved Dixi micro-macro or Behnke-Fried with tetrode components) are placed at clinically determined locations to additionally capture single-neuron activity. This study was classified as a Basic Experimental Studies in Humans (BESH) mechanism; it does not evaluate a health-related clinical outcome but uses clinical populations and FDA-approved research electrodes to study basic neuroscience questions about memory.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Note: Under the NIH clinical trial definition used at the time of submission (2024-2025), this study is classified as a clinical trial because participants are prospectively assigned to interventions (cognitive testing paradigms; in Aim III, research electrode recordings). However, the primary purpose is basic science - understanding the neural basis of memory - not evaluating a clinical/health outcome.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Aim I: Lesion-Symptom Mapping | Experimental | Behavioral: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task, Diagnostic Test: MRI Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Assessment (Aim I)Patients with temporal lobe lesions (n≈310) and healthy controls (n≈150) at Emory University. Retrospective cohort with existing surgical lesions plus prospectively enrolled new surgical patients (~60 over 5 years). Intervention(s): Behavioral: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task; Diagnostic: MRI neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment |
| Aim II: Scalp ERP Study | Experimental | Behavioral: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory TaskHealthy participants (n=80) recruited from UC Davis campus community. Intervention: Behavioral: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task (still-image version) during Scalp EEG/ERP recording and eye tracking |
| Aim III: Intracranial EEG | Experimental | Behavioral: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task, Device: Intracranial EEG Recording with Research Electrodes (Aim III only)Patients with epilepsy undergoing clinically indicated SEEG (n≈80) at UC Davis Medical Center. Behavioral Intervention: Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task; Other Intervention: Intracranial EEG recording via clinically placed electrodes, a minority of which have research microelectrodes (FDA-approved Dixi micro-macro or Behnke-Fried Ad-Tech electrodes) |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 55 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (8 listed)
- Age 18 years or older
- For Aims I and III: Diagnosis of focal epilepsy or temporal lobe lesion; patients undergoing evaluation for or having undergone epilepsy surgery
- For Aim II: Healthy adult participants
- Full-Scale IQ ≥ 70
- English proficiency sufficient to understand and complete the task
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Full-Scale IQ < 70
- Inability to provide informed consent
- For Aim III: Age > 55 years
- For Aim II: History of neurological or psychiatric disorder (as applicable per study protocol)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Tour Recognition Memory TaskParticipants are passively navigated through virtual tour scenes (5-second video clips) during a study phase and are asked to generate descriptive names for each scene. During the test phase, they view novel, spatially similar (same configuration, different objects), or identical scenes and rate familiarity, indicate old/new judgments, report déjà vu sensations, and attempt to recall scene names. The task consists of two study-test blocks. This is a cognitive/behavioral assessment, not a therapeutic intervention. | Behavioural | Aim I: Lesion-Symptom Mapping, Aim II: Scalp ERP Study, Aim III: Intracranial EEG |
| Intracranial EEG Recording with Research Electrodes (Aim III only)Patients undergoing clinically indicated stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) for seizure localization have electrodes implanted at locations determined solely by clinical need. In a subset of patients, FDA-approved research electrodes (Dixi micro-macro electrodes or Behnke-Fried As-Tech electrodes with tetrode components) substitute standard clinical electrodes at the same clinically determined locations. These electrodes have the same geometry as clinical electrodes and are FDA-approved. The tetrode component enables single-neuron recording for research purposes and adds no additional risk. Electrode placement is not altered by study participation. Local field potentials (LFP) and, where available, single-unit data are recorded during the virtual tour task and resting state. | Device | Aim III: Intracranial EEG |
| MRI Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Assessment (Aim I)Pre- and post-surgical structural MRI (T1-weighted, diffusion-weighted imaging, resting-state fMRI) obtained as part of the clinical epilepsy surgery evaluation at Emory University. Extensive neuropsychological battery administered pre- and post-operatively (6 months and 1 year) including Wechsler memory scales, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, confrontation naming, and additional measures. | Diagnostic test | Aim I: Lesion-Symptom Mapping |
Primary outcome
Scene familiarity discrimination accuracy
Time frame: From enrollment until the end of eight weeks, during which time testing is scheduled (Aim II), or during the hospitalization for invasive EEG studies (Aim III). Participants in Aim I can undergo repeat testing (six months, one year, etc.)
Rate of correct familiarity judgments for spatially similar test scenes versus novel scenes (recognition without identification/RWI effect), measured as the proportion of "familiar" responses to configurally matched scenes minus false alarm rate to novel scenes.
Scene recall accuracy
Time frame: From enrollment until the end of eight weeks, during which time testing is scheduled (Aim II), or during the hospitalization for invasive EEG studies (Aim III). Participants in Aim I can undergo repeat testing (six months, one year, etc.)
Proportion of test scenes for which participants correctly recall the name or identifying details of the corresponding study scene (verified recall), separately for identical repeat scenes and configurally similar scenes.
Lesion-symptom correlation for familiarity and recall (Aim I)
Time frame: Testing is scheduled within eight weeks of enrollment for all patients, with repeat testing at six and 12 months after surgery for those enrolled pre-operatively
Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VBLSM) correlating surgical lesion volumes in temporal lobe subregions (temporopolar, perirhinal, entorhinal, parahippocampal, hippocampal) with familiarity and recall behavioral scores.
ERP amplitude and latency associated with familiarity and recall (Aim II)
Time frame: During EEG recording session
Amplitude and latency of event-related potential components (FN400, late positive component) in specified scalp regions (e.g., LAS, RAS, LPS, RPS) as a function of scene familiarity and recall conditions.
Intracranial theta and gamma power and connectivity during familiarity judgments (Aim III)
Time frame: During intracranial EEG monitoring (typically 1-2 weeks hospital stay)
Theta (3-7 Hz) and gamma-band (30-150 Hz) event-related synchronization/desynchronization in parahippocampal, perirhinal, entorhinal, and hippocampal contacts during familiarity versus recall conditions, plus functional connectivity measures (imaginary coherence, phase-amplitude coupling).
6 secondary outcomes
Déjà vu report rate
Time frame: During testing sessions with the virtual tour
Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, Second Edition (VVIQ-2) scores (Aim I)
Time frame: During testing session
Hyperfamiliarity commission errors
Time frame: During testing session
Neuropsychological test performance (Aim I)
Time frame: Pre-surgery and 6 months / 1 year post-surgery
Single-unit firing rate (subset of patients in Aim III)
Time frame: During intracranial EEG monitoring
Single-unit stimulus selectivity (subset of patients in Aim III)
Time frame: During intracranial EEG monitoring
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 12 May 2026.
- NIH Reporter Project DescriptionLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. De-identified behavioral data, EEG/ERP data, and intracranial electrophysiology data will be shared via OpenNeuro and Emory Dataverse upon reasonable request. Identifiable data will remain at collection sites.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Virtual Tour Recognition Memory Task, Intracranial EEG Recording with Research Electrodes (Aim III only) and MRI Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Assessment (Aim I) in people with Focal Epilepsy and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, run by University of California, Davis at 2 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 8 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Nigel P Pedersen, MD (916-734-3251, nppedersen@health.ucdavis.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Scene familiarity discrimination accuracy (time frame: From enrollment until the end of eight weeks, during which time testing is scheduled (Aim II), or during the hospitalization for invasive EEG studies (Aim III). Participants in Aim I can undergo repeat testing (six months, one year, etc.)). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 May 2026.