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Understanding Decision-Making and Memory in Epilepsy Patients

This study is exploring how the choices people make affect their memory, especially in individuals with epilepsy. Researchers are using a behavioral intervention called "Value-manipulation" where different choices in a task are given different values. This helps them understand the brain's electrical activity (local-field potentials and firing rates) during decision-making and memory tasks. You might be able to join if you are 18-65 years old, have seizures that haven't responded to standard medications, and are already scheduled to have brain monitoring (intracranial EEG or RNS) as part of your medical care. The study aims to measure changes in brain activity during a task, which will take about 30-45 minutes within the first two weeks of your hospital stay. The current status of this study is unclear.

Study design
This interventional study plans to enroll 50 participants. It is designed to observe changes in brain activity while participants complete a task.
What's involved
You would participate in a decision-making task for approximately 30-45 minutes during the first two weeks of your hospital stay.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Not specified.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT06072378

The Computational and Neural Mechanisms Linking Decision-making and Memory in Humans

Recruiting
NAAges 18–65InterventionalBasic science
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
~50 participants
Updated 2025-12-17 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Value-manipulation

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Local-field potentials changes
Measured over During task participation, approx. 30-45 min in the first 2 weeks of hospital stay
+1 more outcome measured

Conditions

Memory, Short-Term

Explore related trials

Seizure Disorder

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
New Jersey1

Study leadership

  • Salman E Qasim, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai

Who to contact

Salman E Qasim, PhD
[email protected]
212-824-9531
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Has seizure activity which is deemed non-responsive to standard pharmacological intervention(s), as determined by treating Neurologist and established clinical practices
Has elected to receive clinically indicated intracranial EEG (electrocorticography (ECoG), stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG)) and/or temporal responsive neurostimulation (RNS) for medication-refractory epilepsy outside of this research study, as determined by treating clinician(s) and per current clinical practice
Capacity to provide written informed consent
Language proficiency in English or Spanish
Willing and able to comply with all study-related procedures

Exclusion

History of psychosis, such as in the context of depressive or manic episode.
Active suicidal ideation with intent, suicide attempt within the last six months, or other serious suicide risk
Inability to provide informed consent or reliably participate in study assessments, as per the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA; score \< 26) or in the opinion of the evaluating neuropsychologist.
Individuals unwilling or unable to undergo electrode implantation procedures
Medical contraindications to neurosurgery or for general anesthesia, neurosurgery, or an MRI scan (required for electrode implantation)
Neurological disorder other than epilepsy or other significant brain pathology, if contraindicated in the opinion of implanting neurosurgeon.
Women who are pregnant

What this trial measures

  • Local-field potentials changesDuring task participation, approx. 30-45 min in the first 2 weeks of hospital stay

    Detection of local-field potentials (LFPs) in the various regions (hippocampus, amygdala, and frontal cortex). Local field potentials are the biological voltages recorded by macroelectrodes implanted in participant's subcortical regions as part of their treatment for epilepsy. LFP changes (measured as increases or decreases in voltage) as a function of participant behavior will be recorded, and in response to the task manipulation of the value of choices during the decision-making task

  • Firing rate changesDuring task participation, approx. 30-45 min in the first 2 weeks of hospital stay

    Single-neuron activity recorded from the hippocampus, amygdala, and frontal cortex. Single-neuron activity refers the micro-scale changes in single-neuron action potentials recorded by microelectrodes implanted in subcortical regions. Firing rate changes (measured as difference in spikes/seconds \[Hz\]) will be reported for neurons as a function of how behavior changes when the value of choices is altered.