RecruitingNAINTERVENTIONAL

Thalamic Recordings in Children Undergoing SEEG

This study at Great Ormond Street Hospital is for children aged 2-20 who are already having a special brain test (SEEG) for difficult-to-treat epilepsy. We want to understand how epilepsy affects a specific part of the brain called the thalamus. During the routine test, we will place a few extra, tiny sensors inside the thalamus. This will help us learn more about how epilepsy works in that area and how different parts of the brain talk to each other. The information we gather could help develop better, more personalised brain stimulation treatments in the future for children with epilepsy.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Phase

Sponsor

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

Enrolment target

Start

01 Sep 2025

Estimated completion

01 Dec 2028

Focal Epilepsy

What is this study about?

This study is about understanding how epilepsy affects a part of your brain called the thalamus. Think of the thalamus as a busy control centre that helps different parts of your brain communicate. When children have epilepsy that is hard to treat with medicines, doctors sometimes consider surgery. Before surgery, they often do a special test called Stereo-EEG (SEEG). This involves carefully placing tiny wires, called electrodes, inside the brain to find out exactly where the seizures are coming from. This study aims to add a few more electrodes than usual during this existing procedure.

While the main electrodes are used to guide conventional epilepsy treatment, the additional electrodes will be placed in specific areas of the thalamus. This will allow researchers to record the brain's activity in these areas during seizures and between them. They will also do two gentle tests: one involves sending tiny electrical pulses to see how different brain areas respond, and the other imitates how existing brain stimulation treatments work. The goal is to learn exactly how the thalamus is involved in epilepsy.

This research is really important because treatments involving brain stimulation are becoming more common for epilepsy. However, doctors don't yet have a clear way to choose the best area in the thalamus to stimulate for each child. By getting a clearer picture of how the thalamus reacts to epilepsy, this study hopes to find specific markers that could lead to new, personalised brain stimulation treatments in the future, helping more children become seizure-free.

Key takeaways

Study for children aged 2-20 having SEEG for difficult epilepsy at GOSH.
Aims to understand how epilepsy affects a brain area called the thalamus.
Involves placing a few extra, tiny sensors during a routine SEEG procedure.
Could help develop new, personalised brain stimulation treatments for epilepsy.
No extra hospital visits; participation is part of the existing SEEG.
You can withdraw your child at any time without affecting their care.

Who may be eligible?

This study is looking for children and young people who are already scheduled to have a special brain test called SEEG at Great Ormond Street Hospital. This test is part of checking if they might benefit from epilepsy surgery because their epilepsy hasn't responded well to medicines.

To join, a child must be between 2 and 20 years old. Also, the child (if old enough), parents, or legal guardians must clearly agree to participate in the study and sign an informed consent form.

Children cannot join the study if they, their parents, or legal guardians do not wish to give their consent to be part of the research.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Is your child between 2 and 20 years old?
Is your child already scheduled to have a SEEG test at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)?
Is the SEEG part of an assessment because their epilepsy hasn't responded well to medicines?
Are you (and your child if old enough) comfortable signing a consent form to join the study?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

If you decide to participate, it means that during your child's scheduled SEEG procedure for their epilepsy assessment, a few extra electrodes will be carefully placed into specific parts of their thalamus, in addition to the standard electrodes. These additional electrodes will be in place for the same amount of time as the regular SEEG electrodes. While the electrodes are in, researchers will record brain activity during seizures and when your child is not having seizures. They will also conduct two very gentle tests: one involves delivering tiny electrical pulses to see how brain areas connect, and another will simulate existing brain stimulation treatments to see their effect on brain signals. Everything else about your child's SEEG and follow-up care will remain exactly the same as if they weren't in the study. There are no extra hospital visits or medications. The total duration of participation is limited to the time your child has the SEEG electrodes in place for their clinical assessment.

Potential risks and benefits

The main benefit of taking part is that you will be contributing to valuable research that could help future children with epilepsy. By understanding more about how epilepsy affects the thalamus, this study aims to pave the way for more effective and personalised brain stimulation treatments. Regarding risks, the main additional risk comes from placing the extra electrodes. While doctors are highly skilled, any brain procedure carries a small risk of issues like infection or bleeding, whether standard or additional electrodes are used. The researchers will discuss these thoroughly with you. You have the right to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without it affecting your child's medical care.

Locations (1)

Some site locations are approximate. We're improving this — please verify with the trial team before travelling.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
Verified postcode
London, United Kingdom· Recruiting

Common questions

What is the thalamus?

It's a part of your brain that acts like a relay station, helping different areas of your brain communicate with each other, especially for processing senses and movement.

What is SEEG?

SEEG (Stereo-EEG) is a special test doctors use to pinpoint exactly where seizures are starting in the brain when considering surgery for difficult epilepsy.

Will taking part change my child's epilepsy treatment?

No, this study will not change your child's planned epilepsy treatment or clinical care. The extra information gathered is for research purposes only.

Are there any extra appointments if we join?

No, there are no extra hospital visits or appointments required for this study beyond what your child already has for their SEEG assessment.

Can we stop participating if we change our minds?

Yes, you are free to withdraw your child from the study at any time, for any reason, and it will not affect their medical care.

How to find out more

Aswin Chari, PhD

aswin.chari.18@ucl.ac.uk 07726780817 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.