Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

University of Pennsylvania

Code:

NCT06540976

Conditions

Episodic Memory

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 50

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Cognitive testing

Study Details

Brief summary:

This project will use intracranial recordings and stimulation of the human brain to understand the unique contributions of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) to episodic memory behavior. The goal is to test how distinct subregions of the PCC differentially contribute to memory-based decisions (e.g., have I seen this picture before?). The ability to perform invasive studies of the human brain is through routine clinical monitoring of brain activity which occurs during the neurosurgical treatment of epilepsy. However, this project only focuses on the basic science of PCC and memory behavior. Specifically, the investigators will use single-0cell and population measures of brain activity to test a new theory of PCC function which focuses on the executive processes needed to support memory retrieval and memory-based decisions. By studying the PCC, a convergence zone of memory and executive brain systems, progress can be made in elucidating how the failure to successfully leverage past experiences in daily behavior can occur as a common symptom of both neurodegenerative disease (e.g., Alzheimer's disease) and multiple psychiatric conditions (e.g., schizophrenia) implicating PCC dysfunction.

Conditions

Episodic Memory

Study ID

NCT06540976

Start date

Jan 18, 2023

Status verified date

Sep, 2025

Completion date

Apr 30, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Mar 2, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 50

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All participants are patients undergoing invasive brain monitoring for epilepsy and will be asked to consent to participation in this basic science protocol (which is focused on the patient group but is not focused on the study of epilepsy).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals not undergoing invasive brain monitoring for epilepsy.
  • Individuals outside of the age range (18-50 yrs).
  • Individuals with cognitive impairment or intellectual difficulty.

Study Design

Enrollment

130 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Experiment 1 - episodic / executive switch

All enrolled participants will be asked to perform experiment 1, which is a cognitive task involving the switch between performing episodic memory decisions (e.g., "did you eat fruit yesterday?") and executive decisions (e.g. "...does 5+3+8 = 17?"). Participants will perform this computer-based task while electrical brain activity is recorded from the posterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. This task takes 18 minutes to complete.

experimental: Experiment 2 - executive decision task

All enrolled participants will be asked to perform experiment 2, which is a cognitive task involving reward-based decisions between two options. For each decision, the two options will differ in their risk and reward (e.g., 100% chance of 10 points vs. 30% chance of 50 points). Participants will perform this computer-based task while electrical brain activity is recorded from the posterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. This task takes 15 minutes to complete.

experimental: Experiment 3 - episodic decision task

All enrolled participants will be asked to perform experiment 3, which is a cognitive task involving memory-based decisions between two options (pictures of people). For each decision, the two pictures will differ in memory strength and reward (e.g., familiar picture for 10 points vs. unfamiliar picture 50 points). Memory strength for each picture will be defined by how many times the picture was previously shown (e.g., 2 vs. 10 presentations) prior to performing the memory decision task. Participants will perform this computer-based task while electrical brain activity is recorded from the posterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. This task takes 15 minutes to complete.

Interventions

Cognitive testing

Cognitive tasks testing executive and episodic based decisions, and the switching between these processes.

Primary outcome measure

  • Episodic/Executive behavioral task performance accuracy [ Time Frame: Outcome assessed 10 minutes after intervention ]
  • Episodic/Executive behavioral task performance speed [ Time Frame: Outcome assessed 10 minutes after intervention ]
  • Changes in high-frequency electrophysiological brain response [ Time Frame: Outcome assessed 1 hour after intervention ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Ilaina Edelstein

2156153525Ilaina.Edelstein@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Brett Foster

2156153525Brett.Foster@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Locations

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania - Pavilion

Recruiting

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104

Contacts

Ilaina Edelstein

Ilaina.Edelstein@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of Pennsylvania

Last update posted

Sep 12, 2025

Last verified

Sep, 2025

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Pennsylvania on 2025-09-12.