NCT03857074

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to obtain preliminary data in advance of a larger clinical trial aimed to test whether a single session of green light exposure can lead to a clinically significant reduction in epileptic spikes in patients with medically-refractory epilepsy. As this is a potentially fragile patient population, the study will test safety and tolerability as well as efficacy.

Trial Health

43
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
16

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Jul 2019

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
unknown

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 25, 2019

Completed
2 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 27, 2019

Completed
5 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

July 22, 2019

Completed
3.4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 31, 2022

Completed
5 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 1, 2023

Completed
Last Updated

March 9, 2022

Status Verified

March 1, 2022

Enrollment Period

3.4 years

First QC Date

February 25, 2019

Last Update Submit

March 8, 2022

Conditions

Keywords

Refractory EpilepsyGreen Light ExposureEpileptic Spikes

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Effects of exposure to a narrow band of green light (520-540 nm) at low intensities (1-10 cd/m2) on the pattern of electrical activity in the cortex of epilepsy patients.

    The primary outcome measure for this aim will be the fraction of patients in which the number of epileptiform discharges (spikes or sharp waves) decrease, per recording, in response to green light exposure, as determined by spike frequency detected via scalp EEG before and after green light exposure.

    120 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (3)

  • To consider probable confounders, such as etiology and comorbidities, this information will be acquired with standardized NIH epilepsy data acquisition forms for (1):

    10 minutes

  • To consider probable confounders, such as etiology and comorbidities, this information will be acquired through routine clinical care documentation by the study MD for (2):

    10 minutes

  • To consider probable confounders, such as etiology and comorbidities, this information will be acquired through routine clinical care documentation by the study MD for (3):

    10 minutes

Study Arms (1)

Open Label, Green Light Exposure

EXPERIMENTAL

This is a single-center, open label, pilot feasibility study. Patients with epilepsy will be exposed to a narrow band of green light at low intensities (1-10 cd/m2). The investigators will record 30 minutes of scalp EEG prior to the light exposure and 30 minutes of scalp EEG recording post-light exposure. The number of epileptic spikes per minute at baseline will be compared to epileptic spike count per minute post-treatment, to determine whether green light exposure effectively decreases the number of epileptic spikes, in patients with ≥1 epileptic spike per minute at baseline.

Device: Green Light Exposure

Interventions

To test whether exposure to a narrow band of green light (520-540 nm) at low intensities (1-10 cd/m2) decreases interictal epileptiform discharges in patients with epilepsy. The overall hypothesis for this open-label trial is based on findings in patients with migraine that indicate an engagement of thalamocortical inhibitory circuits by green light.

Open Label, Green Light Exposure

Eligibility Criteria

Age6 Months - 30 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • months-30 years of age
  • Epileptic spike frequency ≥1 epileptic spike per minute at baseline, as determined by scalp EEG recording
  • Admitted to the Boston Children's Hospital Epilepsy Long Term Monitoring Unit at the time of enrollment

You may not qualify if:

  • Cataracts
  • Retinol disease
  • Any history of or currently not well controlled ophthalmic disease that prevents transmission from the retina to the optic nerve
  • Clinical seizure 4 hours or less before anticipated green light exposure

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Boston Children's Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02130, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (3)

  • Noseda R, Bernstein CA, Nir RR, Lee AJ, Fulton AB, Bertisch SM, Hovaguimian A, Cestari DM, Saavedra-Walker R, Borsook D, Doran BL, Buettner C, Burstein R. Migraine photophobia originating in cone-driven retinal pathways. Brain. 2016 Jul;139(Pt 7):1971-86. doi: 10.1093/brain/aww119. Epub 2016 May 17.

    PMID: 27190022BACKGROUND
  • Noseda R, Kainz V, Jakubowski M, Gooley JJ, Saper CB, Digre K, Burstein R. A neural mechanism for exacerbation of headache by light. Nat Neurosci. 2010 Feb;13(2):239-45. doi: 10.1038/nn.2475. Epub 2010 Jan 10.

    PMID: 20062053BACKGROUND
  • Noseda R, Lee AJ, Nir RR, Bernstein CA, Kainz VM, Bertisch SM, Buettner C, Borsook D, Burstein R. Neural mechanism for hypothalamic-mediated autonomic responses to light during migraine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Jul 11;114(28):E5683-E5692. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1708361114. Epub 2017 Jun 26.

    PMID: 28652355BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

EpilepsyDrug Resistant Epilepsy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain DiseasesCentral Nervous System DiseasesNervous System Diseases

Study Officials

  • Alexander Rotenberg, MD, PhD

    Boston Children's Hospital

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Phillip Pearl, MD

    Boston Children's Hospital

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Model Details: This is a single-center, open label, pilot feasibility study.
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 25, 2019

First Posted

February 27, 2019

Study Start

July 22, 2019

Primary Completion

December 31, 2022

Study Completion

June 1, 2023

Last Updated

March 9, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-03

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations