Magnetoencephalography in Absence Seizures

NCT00884351 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 09012509-N-0125
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 5
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background:

• An absence seizure is a type of seizure that usually begins in childhood and goes away by early adulthood. Scientists do not yet know where absence seizures begin in the brain. Some evidence suggests that these seizures begin in the thalamus, a structure deep in the brain, but other studies suggest that they begin in the frontal cortex, at the front part of the brain.
• Magnetoencephalography is a type of brain scanning procedure that is useful in determining information about what happens to the brain during epileptic seizures. Understanding where absence seizures come from may help doctors find new treatments for them. Objectives:
• To gain a better understanding of which parts of the brain are affected in absence seizures. Eligibility:
• Patients 7 to 35 years of age who have been diagnosed with absence seizures. Design:
• Procedures are for research purposes only, not to diagnose or treat a particular medical condition.
• Two outpatient visits to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center: evaluation and scanning.
• Researchers will evaluate potential participants with a medical history, physical examination, and electroencephalography (EEG). These tests will be performed under another protocol, 01-N-0139.
• Patients will undergo magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. The study procedures will be performed one time; however, an MEG or MRI scan may need to be repeated for technical reasons. Researchers will not do more than two MEG or MRI scans.
• The MEG will record very small magnetic field changes produced by the activity of the brain. An EEG will be recorded at the same time as the MEG.
• The MRI will use a magnetic field to take pictures of the inside of the brain.
• The MEG will take 3 hours to complete (2 hours for preparation, 1 hour in the scanner). The MRI will take approximately 1 hour.

Conditions

Seizures

Keywords

Epilepsy; MEG; Seizures

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 7 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age 7-35
• Absence of seizures based on clinical and electroenecephalography data. Patients who have other seizure types (myoclonic, generalized tonic-clonic) in addition to absence seizures may be included.
• Patients who have other neurologic disorders may be included, as long as they are able to consent/assent.

You may not qualify if:

• Contraindications to MEG studies (Dental braces, permanent retainers, metal dental caps/crowns/fillings)
• Contraindications to MRI studies (such as pacemakers, cochlear devices, surgical clips, metallic implants, orthopedic pins, shrapnel, permanent eyeliner, vagus nerve stimulator)
• Claustrophobia or anxiety disorders exacerbated by MRI
• Pregnancy
• Inability to provide consent/assent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Avoli M, Gloor P. Role of the thalamus in generalized penicillin epilepsy: observations on decorticated cats. Exp Neurol. 1982 Aug;77(2):386-402. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(82)90252-7. No abstract available.

  PMID: 7095066 BACKGROUND

• Bernasconi A, Bernasconi N, Natsume J, Antel SB, Andermann F, Arnold DL. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging of the thalamus in idiopathic generalized epilepsy. Brain. 2003 Nov;126(Pt 11):2447-54. doi: 10.1093/brain/awg249. Epub 2003 Aug 5.

  PMID: 12902313 BACKGROUND

• Castro-Alamancos MA. Neocortical synchronized oscillations induced by thalamic disinhibition in vivo. J Neurosci. 1999 Sep 15;19(18):RC27. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.19-18-j0005.1999.

  PMID: 10479720 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Seizures; Epilepsy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 17, 2009
• First Posted: April 20, 2009
• Study Start: April 15, 2009
• Study Completion: June 15, 2011
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2011-06-15

Locations

US (1)