Characterising the Network-Specific Effects of Piriform Cortex Stimulation Via SEEG

December 12, 2025 updated by: Liankun_Ren, Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing

Characterising the Network-Specific Effects of Piriform Cortex Stimulation Via SEEG With Multimodal Data Integration

The prospective study aims to characterize the network-specific modulatory effects of piriform cortex stimulation in patients undergoing stereotactic EEG for drug-resistant epilepsy. Using multimodal data, it seeks to link stimulation-evoked electrophysiological responses across brain networks with clinical outcomes, to inform targeted neuromodulation therapies.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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

This study employs stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) to investigate the network-specific mechanisms of brain modulation induced by electrical stimulation of the piriform cortex. By analyzing high-density intracranial recordings, combined with structural and functional neuroimaging, the research systematically characterizes how focal stimulation differentially engages and reorganizes activity across large-scale neural circuits. The primary focus is to decode the electrophysiological signatures of network engagement-including changes in spectral power, phase synchronization, and information flow-to reveal fundamental principles of targeted neuromodulation in the human brain.

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.
10

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 Locations

  • China
    • Beijing Municipality
      • Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China, 100053

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • The patients were diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy.
  • The patients underwent stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) implantation for pre-surgical evaluation of epilepsy, with at least one electrode target reaching the piriform cortex
  • Participants/parents/legal guardian provide informed consent for inclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects that experience surgical complications during the implant procedure will be excluded from the study

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: SEEG recordings and SPES effects
This arm encompasses patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who underwent intracranial monitoring via stereotactically implanted depth electrodes (SEEG) as part of their standard presurgical evaluation. During the monitoring period, these patients additionally underwent systematic Single-Pulse Electrical Stimulation (SPES) mapping. SPES was administered according to a standardized clinical protocol, involving the delivery of single, low-intensity electrical pulses to selected electrode contacts-including those located within or adjacent to the piriform cortex-while recording the evoked electrophysiological responses across the implanted SEEG network. The data collected in this arm include continuous intracranial EEG recordings, precise stimulation parameters (location, intensity), and the corresponding electrophysiological responses used to characterize cortico-cortical evoked potentials and network connectivity.
Device: SEEG recordings and SPES
The intervention involves single-pulse electrical stimulation (SPES) applied during stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) monitoring. Low-intensity, standardized electrical pulses are delivered to targeted contacts within or near the piriform cortex via implanted depth electrodes, while simultaneous full-bandwidth SEEG recordings capture network-wide electrophysiological responses, allowing characterization of stimulation-evoked brain network activation and modulation patterns.

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
Seizure Discharge Suppression Rate
Time Frame: 72 hours
Quantified as the percentage reduction in the frequency of spikes and interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) during active stimulation compared to the baseline period.
72 hours

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
Single-Pulse Stimulation Amplitude:
Time Frame: 72 hours
The minimum current intensity (mA) required to elicit a reproducible response.
72 hours
N1 Component Amplitude and Latency:
Time Frame: 72 hours
Amplitude (μV) and latency (ms) of the primary cortical evoked response (N1 wave).
72 hours
Spatial Distribution of Activation
Time Frame: 72 hours
The extent of cortical activation, assessed by the number of electrode contacts showing significant evoked responses.
72 hours
Effective Connectivity Change：
Time Frame: 72 hours
Alterations in effective connectivity strength (e.g., measured by Granger causality within a 500 ms time window).
72 hours
Phase-Amplitude Coupling Index
Time Frame: 72 hours
Changes in coupling between the phase of low-frequency oscillations and the amplitude of the gamma band (30-80 Hz).
72 hours
Functional Network Reconfiguration
Time Frame: 72 hours
Changes in node centrality metrics (e.g., betweenness centrality, degree centrality) based on graph-theoretical analysis of functional networks.
72 hours
Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events [Safety and Tolerability]
Time Frame: 72 hours
Adverse Events: Incidence and severity of adverse events specifically associated with piriform cortex stimulation.
72 hours

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.
Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Liankun Ren, Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing

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 (Estimated)

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.
December 8, 2025

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.
January 8, 2027

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 8, 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).
December 2, 2025

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.
December 12, 2025

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.
December 26, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
December 26, 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.
December 12, 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.
December 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.
  • 2025-292-202

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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