" Virtual Brain "-Based Interpretation of Electrophysiological Signals in Epilepsy (VIBRATIONS)

Epilepsy is a major neurological disorder, affecting of the order of 0.5 to 1% of the population. It is a very invalidating disease, with high impact on quality of life. In a large proportion of cases, medication cannot prevent seizures; surgical removal of the regions responsible for seizures is then the only way to cure patients. However, results crucially depend on the correct delineation of the epileptogenic zone.

In this context, computational modeling, under the form of a "virtual brain" is a powerful tool to investigate the impact of different configurations of the sources on the measures, in a well-controlled environment.

In this project, the simulate in a biologically realistic way MEG (Magnetoencephalography) and EEG (Electroencephalography) fields produced by different configurations of brain sources, which will differ in terms of spatial and dynamic characteristics will be offered to participants. The research hypothesis is that computational and biophysical models can bring crucial information to clinically interpret the signals measured by MEG and EEG. In particular, the hypothesis can help to efficiently address some complementary questions faced by epileptologists when analyzing electrophysiological data.

The strategy will be three-fold:

i) Construct a virtual brain models with both dynamic aspects (reproducing both hyperexcitability and hypersynchronisation alterations observed in the epileptic brain) and a realistic geometry based on actual tractography measures performed in patients ii) Explore the parameter space though large-scale simulations of source configurations, using parallel computing implemented on a computer cluster.

iii) Confront the results of these simulations to simultaneous recordings of EEG, MEG and intracerebral EEG (stereotactic EEG, stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG)). The models will be tuned on SEEG signals, and tested versus the surface signals in order to validate the ability of the models to represent real MEG and EEG signals.

The project constitutes a translational effort from theoretical neuroscience and mathematics towards clinical investigation. A first output of the project will be a database of simulations, which will permit in a given situation to assess the number of configurations that could have given rise to the observed signals in EEG, MEG and SEEG. A second - and major - output of the project will be to give the clinician access to a software platform which will allow for testing possible configurations of hyperexcitable regions in a user-friendly way. Moreover, representative examples will be made available to the community through a website, which will permit its use in future studies aimed at confronting the results of different signal processing methods on the same 'ground truth' data.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Epilepsy
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: MRI scanning

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Marseille, France, 13354
    • Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Epilepsy patients with planned intracerebral exploration (SEEG)
• informed patient
• patient affiliated to French social security

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients under 18
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Patients deprived of liberty by legal decision
• Patients not covered by social security
• Patients who did not sign informed consent
• patients who cannot undertake MRI exam

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: epileptic patient	Device: MRI scanning

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Determining regions responsible epileptic discharges	Diffusion MRI	36 months
recordings Magnetoencephalography (MEG)	The number of events per sensor	36 months
recordings Electroencephalography (EEG)	The number of events per sensor	36 months
recordings Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG)	The number of events per sensor	36 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Assistance Publique Hopitaux De Marseille

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Medina Villalon S, Paz R, Roehri N, Lagarde S, Pizzo F, Colombet B, Bartolomei F, Carron R, Benar CG. EpiTools, A software suite for presurgical brain mapping in epilepsy: Intracerebral EEG. J Neurosci Methods. 2018 Jun 1;303:7-15. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2018.03.018. Epub 2018 Mar 29.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 18, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 17, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): April 13, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 7, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 10, 2015
• First Posted (Estimated): November 13, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 4, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Epilepsy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2014-45; 2015-A00298-41 (Registry Identifier: ID/RCB number); RCAPHM14_0109 (Registry Identifier: APHM)