Rehabilitation of Cognition and Psychosocial Well-being in Epilepsy (ReCaPABLE)

September 18, 2025 updated by: Ruta Mameniskiene, Vilnius University

Rehabilitation of Cognition and Psychosocial Well-being - A Better Life With Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a complex and chronic neurological disorder whose definition is not limited to seizures and also includes social, psychological, and cognitive consequences associated with this frequent condition. Despite good knowledge of the burden of cognitive deficits and psychosocial difficulties in epilepsy, there have been few attempts to address these issues through rehabilitation programs. The Rehabilitation of Cognition and Psychosocial well-being - A Better Life with Epilepsy (ReCaP-ABLE) study will consist of the creation and implementation of a psychological intervention in a randomized waitlist-controlled trial within a sample of adults with epilepsy. The trial is designed to provide novel evidence regarding 1) the effectiveness of a psychological-cognitive intervention in improving quality of life, objective and subjective cognitive functioning as well as reducing mental health symptomatology, 2) the target epilepsy population for which cognitive and psychosocial rehabilitation is most effective, and 3) the transfer effects of such an intervention. This interdisciplinary trial involving neurology and psychology specialists is set to guide evidence-based treatment for cognitive and psychological comorbidities that are prevalent in epilepsy but receive insufficient attention in clinical settings.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The aim of the current project is to conduct a randomized waitlist-controlled trial of an original CoRE program, assess its overall efficacity and determine factors associated with a better response to this intervention.

Work schedule Objective 1: To prepare for the study before patient enrolment (2023-04-01 to 2023-12-31, 9 months) Task 1.1. Acquisition of ethical approval according to local regulations, preparation of infrastructure (e.g., reservation of dedicated examination rooms), and personnel. The required infrastructure for clinical examination and evaluation (e.g., electroencephalography, examination rooms) will be available within the clinical center of Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos while the infrastructure for the conduct of the intervention will be available at the Counseling and training center of the Faculty of Philosophy at Vilnius University. Vilnius University will also provide access to the data management software "MIDAS" and the statistical package for data analysis (SPSS).

Task 1.2. Development of experimental testing material and intervention. This subtask will be accomplished through meetings between investigators in clinical neurology and psychology. Experimental testing material will be developed after conducting a literature review and discussing the tests' feasibility (e.g., duration, mode of application, result analysis).

Task 1.3. Preparation of the study protocol for publication (expected acceptance before patient enrolment) Objective 2: To start patient enrolment and baseline evaluation (2024-01-01 to 2024-02-31, 2 months) and proceed with continuous enrolment, evaluation, intervention, and follow-up (2024-03-01 to 2024-11-30, 9 months).

Task 2.1. Patient recruitment and baseline evaluation Patients will be recruited by neurologists and explained the purpose and workflow of the trial.

The sample size was calculated for a between-group interaction of a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with f=0.40, α=0.05, β=0.95, two groups (early and late intervention), three measurement points, 0.5 correlation between repeated measures and no adjustment for non-sphericity. The resulting sample size of n=58 (G*Power 3.1.9.7) was increased by 20% to n=70 to account for dropouts and corresponded well to the mean sample size and attrition rates in previous trials (Joplin et al., 2018).

Inclusion criteria:

Active epilepsy (medication for epilepsy and/or had at least one seizure in the past year) Adults (>17 years) Lithuanian speaker No intellectual disability

Exclusion criteria:

Sensory or motor deficit preventing task completion Epilepsy surgery planned during the project Active non-paroxysmal comorbid disorder of the central nervous system (e.g., neurodegeneration, multiple sclerosis) Active psychiatric disorder during the past year Psychoactive substance use (except social alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine use)

Components of the baseline evaluation:

Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics (case report form) Clinical characteristics (e.g., seizure frequency, type and duration of epilepsy, medication use, comorbidities, previous exposure to psychological counseling), case report form.

Epilepsy re-evaluation by the neurologist (including electroencephalography) Questionnaire data (scales used): quality of life (QOLIE-31-P), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (NDDI-E), suicidality (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale), metacognition (MCQ-30), Jacoby's 3-item Stigma Scale, antiseizure drug adverse effects (LAEP), the Short Form (36) Health Survey, subjective evaluation of cognitive functions (ad hoc Likert scales 0 to 10).

Objective neuropsychological assessment, up to one hour per examination (indicated examples may be substituted by equivalent tests):

Reaction speed (e.g., Trail Making Tests A and B) Working memory (e.g., Digit Span Test) Verbal fluency (e.g., categorical, phonemic naming) Short-term and long-term memory: verbal (short story or word list) and visuospatial (complex figure) at three delays (e.g., immediate, 30 min, and 4 weeks) to test for accelerated forgetting.

Experimental memory tasks with high everyday significance (e.g., map learning, appointment memory, close autobiographical memory) Task 2.2. The intervention (2024-03-01 to 2024-11-31 (early intervention group) and 2025-06-01 to 2026-03-31 (late intervention group)) Patient randomization will be done using dedicated software (e.g., https://www.randomizer.org/). The investigators performing questionnaire-based and neuropsychological assessment will be blinded from the status of the patient.

The intervention is planned to consist of six individual one-hour therapy sessions with certified psychologists followed by two group sessions (a total of two months per patient). The intervention will consist of all parts of the Strategies-Outsourcing-Social support toolbox (Baxendale, 2020) and include psychoeducation, lifestyle issues, coping strategies and homework. It will be developed after group meetings and all psychologists will be trained by a leading specialist to ensure standardization.

Task 2.3. End of patient recruitment and intervention, last follow-up investigations (2024-12-01 to 2025-03-31, 4 months) Objective 3: To conduct data analysis and disseminate the results (2025-04-01 to 2026-03-31, 12 months) Task 3.1 Data analysis, drafting, and editing of the final report, publication, and presentation of the study results (2025-04-01 to 2026-03-31, 12 months).

The efficacy of the intervention will be defined as a significant improvement in one of the primary outcomes (quality of life or verbal memory), tested with a repeated measure between factors AN(C)OVA. Dynamic changes of other outcome measures will be tested respectively. The association between demographic and clinical variables with study endpoints will be conducted by means of linear and ordinal regression modeling. Open-access publishing of the study results will be sought.

Intervention is simultaneously done for the late intervention group, which is treated as a waitlist control during data analysis (see Task 2.2).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
70

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Lithuania
      • Vilnius, Lithuania
        • Vilnius University hospital Santaros klinikos

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Active epilepsy (medication for epilepsy and/or had at least one seizure in the past year)
  • Adults (>17 years)
  • Lithuanian speaker
  • No intellectual disability

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Sensory or motor deficit preventing task completion
  • Epilepsy surgery planned during the project
  • Active non-paroxysmal comorbid disorder of the central nervous system (e.g.,
  • neurodegeneration, multiple sclerosis)
  • Active psychiatric disorder during the past year
  • Psychoactive substance use (except social alcohol, tobacco and caffeine use)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Early intervention group
The intervention is planned to consist of six individual one-hour therapy sessions with certified psychologists followed by two group sessions (a total of two months (8 weeks) per patient).
Behavioral: Cognitive rehabilitation
Six individual one-hour therapy sessions with certified psychologists followed by two group sessions (a total of two months per patient). The intervention will consist of all parts of the Strategies-Outsourcing-Social support toolbox (Baxendale, 2020) and include psychoeducation, lifestyle issues, coping strategies and homework.
Active Comparator: late intervention group
For 8 weeks this group will receive the usual treatment, then, after repeated cognitive evaluation, will receive the same intervention: six individual one-hour therapy sessions with certified psychologists followed by two group sessions (a total of two months per patient).
Behavioral: Cognitive rehabilitation
Six individual one-hour therapy sessions with certified psychologists followed by two group sessions (a total of two months per patient). The intervention will consist of all parts of the Strategies-Outsourcing-Social support toolbox (Baxendale, 2020) and include psychoeducation, lifestyle issues, coping strategies and homework.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Quality of life index
Time Frame: Immediately before intervention and after.
QOLIE-31-P will be used before and after interventions. The efficacy of the intervention will be defined as a change from baseline value immediately before intervention at 8 weeks immediately after intervention
Immediately before intervention and after.
Delayed verbal recall
Time Frame: Immediately before intervention, after 30 minutes and after 4 weeks immediately after intervention
The short story and word list will be used immediately before the intervention, repeated after 30 minutes and immediately after intervention after 4 weeks. The efficacy of the intervention will be defined as a change from baseline value at 30 minutes and a change from baseline value at 4 weeks
Immediately before intervention, after 30 minutes and after 4 weeks immediately after intervention
Delayed visual recall
Time Frame: Immediately before intervention, at 30 minutes and immediately after intervention at 4 weeks
The complex figure test will be used immediately before the intervention, repeated after 30 minutes and immediately after intervention after 4 weeks. The efficacy of the intervention will be defined as a change from baseline value at 30 minutes and a change from baseline value at 4 weeks.
Immediately before intervention, at 30 minutes and immediately after intervention at 4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mood
Time Frame: Immediately before and two times (immediately after the intervention and 8 weeks later).
The Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E) for evaluation of depression will be used. The change from baseline value at 8 and 16 weeks will be assessed
Immediately before and two times (immediately after the intervention and 8 weeks later).
Anxiety
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) inventory for evaluation of anxiety will be used two times - before and after interventions (after 8 and 16 weeks). The change from baseline value at 8 and 16 weeks will be assessed
Immediately before and after intervention.
Stigma
Time Frame: Immediately before and after intervention.
Jacoby's 3-item Stigma Scale will be used two times - before and after interventions (after 8 and 16 weeks). The change from baseline value at 8 and 16 weeks will be assessed.
Immediately before and after intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Vilnius University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 11, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 1, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 15, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 28, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 7, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 23, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 18, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • ReCaP-ABLE-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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