Recruiting

Neuroimaging in Epilepsy

Sponsor:

Massachusetts General Hospital

Code:

NCT06974305

Conditions

Epilepsy

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

FDG-PET/fMRI/EEG imaging

Study Details

Brief summary:

This study aims to better understand how epilepsy alters brain function through neuroimaging of healthy people and people with epilepsy. The study investigates how changes in brain metabolism (sugar consumption, measured by positron emission tomography \[FDG-PET\], and blood flow, measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging \[fMRI\]) relate to abnormal interictal electrical activity associated with epilepsy (measured by electroencephalography \[EEG\]). The study will also compare how the three imaging modalities localize regions of abnormal function in the brain.

Conditions

Epilepsy

Study ID

NCT06974305

Start date

Sep 21, 2023

Status verified date

May, 2025

Completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 or older

Additional Inclusion Criteria for Subjects with Epilepsy:

  • Diagnosed with epilepsy with abnormal interictal EEG

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Contraindications to PET, MRI, or EEG imaging
  • History of severe brain disease such as stroke and head trauma
  • History of brain surgery
  • History of type I or II diabetes mellitus
  • Fasting plasma glucose level >200 mg/dL
  • Employed under direct supervision of the PI conducting the research

Additional Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Subjects:

  • Current use of drugs that modulate brain function
  • Current or past history of major medical, neurological, or psychiatric conditions

Study Design

Enrollment

30 participants

Anticipated

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

Healthy Controls

Healthy control subjects with no major medical history

Subjects with Epilepsy

Subjects diagnosed with epilepsy and with abnormal electrical activity recorded on interictal EEG.

Interventions

FDG-PET/fMRI/EEG imaging

Subject will undergo simultaneous EEG, fMRI, and FDG-PET imaging. This includes the use of a standard injected radioactive marker used in PET imaging.

Primary outcome measure

  • Image analysis [ Time Frame: Image analysis to be performed after imaging sessions are complete. ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Magdelena S Allen, BA

617-724-9232mallen27@mgh.harvard.edu

Locations

Athinoula A. Martinos Center

Recruiting

Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States, 02129

More Information

Sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Last update posted

Apr 23, 2026

Last verified

May, 2025

Keywords

  • Functional PET
  • FDG-PET
  • Functional MRI
  • EEG
  • Epilepsy
  • Neuroimaging
  • Multimodal imaging

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Massachusetts General Hospital on 2026-04-23.