Spatial Scene Recognition Memory in Epilepsy Surgery
Recruiting · NCT07580183 · Interventional (participants receive a specific treatment) · Lead sponsor: University of California, Davis
View the official record on ClinicalTrials.gov →Interventions studied
What this trial is about
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.
Who can take part
Inclusion criteria
- 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)
Exclusion criteria
- 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)
Where it is running
2 locations listed across 2 US states.
- UC Davis Medical Center - Sacramento, California, United States
- Emory University Hospital - Atlanta, Georgia, United States