Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

Duke University

Code:

NCT04874220

Conditions

Memory, Delayed

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 12 - 70

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Deep Brain Stimulation

Memory and spatial navigation tasks

Physiological Signals

Questionnaires and Assessments

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this study is to understand the neural mechanisms that support real world spatial navigation in humans using deep brain recordings and stimulation during virtual reality (VR), augmented reality, and real world memory tasks. We will determine the cognitive (i.e., memory) and behavioral (i.e., body, head, eye position and movement) factors that modulate deep brain activity and the consequent effects of memory-enhancing deep brain stimulation.

Conditions

Memory, Delayed

Study ID

NCT04874220

Start date

Sep 30, 2020

Status verified date

Jul, 2025

Completion date

Jun 30, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun 30, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 12 - 70

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 12 years of age or older and has undergone RNS system placement
  • Willing to provide informed consent and participate the study
  • Ability to read and write English fluently

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unwilling to provide informed consent

Study Design

Enrollment

70 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: RNS Participants

Subjects with RNS implants.

Interventions

Deep Brain Stimulation

Deep brain stimulation will be used

Memory and spatial navigation tasks

Tasks may include walking around the room, on a treadmill, or in a controlled environment using VR (virtual reality) or AR (augmented reality) technology designed to simulate real-world navigation. Participants may also use Meta Ray-Ban glasses to capture new memories while recording neural activity.

Physiological Signals

Physiological signals such as heart rate, respiration, and skin conductance will be monitored while completing lab tasks. Motion capture and eye-tracking may also be used.

Questionnaires and Assessments

Participants complete questionnaires and assessments to assess subjective emotional experience.

Primary outcome measure

  • Spatial memory [ Time Frame: Throughout study completion, an average of 2-4 days per year ]
  • Memory performance change [ Time Frame: Throughout study completion, an average of 2-4 days per year ]
  • Oscillatory activity change [ Time Frame: Throughout study completion, an average of 2-4 days per year ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Gabriela Vilchez

9196812577suthanalab@duke.edu

Nanthia Suthana, PhD

9196812577suthanalab@duke.edu

Locations

University of California, Los Angeles

Recruiting

Los Angeles, California, United States, 90024

Contacts

Sonja Hiller

310-794-7517shiller@mednet.ucla.edu

Principal Investigator:

Nanthia Suthana, PhD

Duke University

Recruiting

Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705

Contacts

Gabriela Vilchez

919-681-2577suthanalab@duke.edu

Principal Investigator:

Nanthia Suthana, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Duke University

Last update posted

May 15, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2025

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Duke University on 2026-05-15.