EEG Changes and Cognitive Profiles in Sepsis Patients With Different Inflammatory Phenotypes

August 8, 2026 updated by: Lina Zhang, MD, PhD, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University

Electroencephalogram Changes and Cognitive Function Profiles in Sepsis Patients With Different Inflammatory Phenotypes

To characterize the electroencephalogram (EEG) features of sepsis patients with distinct inflammatory response phenotypes, dynamically track their evolutionary trajectories, and analyze their associations with long-term changes in cognitive function.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

78

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

  • Name: Lina Zhang, Dr.
  • Phone Number: 86+15874875763
  • Email: zln7095@163.com

Study Locations

  • China
    • Hunan
      • Changsha, Hunan, China, 410008
        • Xiangya Hospital of Central South University
        • Contact:

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult sepsis patients admitted to ICU at Xiangya Hospital, diagnosed according to Sepsis-3.0 criteria, with expected survival ≥24 hours. Patients with primary CNS diseases, post-CPCR status, pregnancy/lactation, or contraindications to EEG monitoring will be excluded.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥18 years and ≤90 years
  • First-time admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
  • Diagnosis of sepsis according to Sepsis-3.0 criteria (documented or clinically suspected infection plus Sequential Organ Failure Assessment [SOFA] score ≥2 points)
  • Expected ICU survival time ≥24 hours
  • Written informed consent provided by the patient or legal surrogate

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy or lactation
  • Cardiopulmonary-cerebral resuscitation (CPCR) performed during the current hospital admission
  • Pre-existing primary central nervous system (CNS) diseases, including:

Acute cerebrovascular disease (e.g., hemiplegia, cranial nerve palsy) Central nervous system infection (e.g., pleocytosis in cerebrospinal fluid) Organic or metabolic encephalopathy (e.g., hepatic, renal, pulmonary, pancreatic, or severe inherited metabolic disorders) Drug-related encephalopathy (e.g., antipsychotic-associated encephalopathy, serotonin syndrome, neurotoxic antibiotics) Other structural or immunological brain diseases (e.g., traumatic brain injury, intracranial neoplasm, autoimmune encephalopathy)

- Inability to cooperate with or tolerate scalp EEG electrode placement (e.g., extensive scalp trauma or open scalp infection)

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
High Inflammatory Phenotype Group
Septic patients displaying serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6) ≥ 400 pg/mL upon ICU admission (Day 1) .
Device: EEG monitoring
Standard sepsis bundle treatment + 72-hour quantitative continuous EEG monitoring + structured long-term cognitive follow-up.
Low Inflammatory Phenotype Group
Septic patients displaying serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6) < 400 pg/mL upon ICU admission (Day 1) .
Device: EEG monitoring
Standard sepsis bundle treatment + 72-hour quantitative continuous EEG monitoring + structured long-term cognitive follow-up.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Quantified EEG Features and Young Classification Grade
Time Frame: 72 hours after enrollment
Description: Power spectral density (delta, theta, alpha, beta frequency bands), relative delta band power ratio (1-4 Hz), epileptiform discharge frequency, burst-suppression ratio, and Young EEG grading (Grade I to VI, double-blinded expert consensus reading).
72 hours after enrollment
Favorable Neurological Prognosis Rate (CPC Score)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1), Day 2, Day 3, Day 7, Day 30, Day 90, and Day 180 post-enrollment.
Neurological outcome assessed using the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scale. The CPC score ranges from 1 to 5, with lower scores indicating better neurological function. CPC scores of 1-2 indicate favorable neurological outcomes, whereas CPC scores of 3-5 indicate unfavorable neurological outcomes.
Baseline (Day 1), Day 2, Day 3, Day 7, Day 30, Day 90, and Day 180 post-enrollment.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Score
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1), Day 2, Day 3, Day 7, Day 30, Day 90, and Day 180 post-enrollment.
Cognitive function assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale. The total MoCA score ranges from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating better cognitive function. A MoCA score <26 is defined as cognitive impairment.
Baseline (Day 1), Day 2, Day 3, Day 7, Day 30, Day 90, and Day 180 post-enrollment.
Mortality
Time Frame: Day 30, Day 90, and Day 180 post-enrollment.
All-cause mortality collected through electronic medical records and structured telephone follow-up.
Day 30, Day 90, and Day 180 post-enrollment.
Length of ICU Stay
Time Frame: Up to 180 days post-enrollment.
Total duration of stay in the Intensive Care Unit in days.
Up to 180 days post-enrollment.
Health-Related Quality of Life (EQ-5D-5L Index)
Time Frame: Day 30, Day 90, and Day 180 post-enrollment.
Health-related quality of life assessed using the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L) Index. The EQ-5D-5L index score ranges from -0.594 to 1.000, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life.
Day 30, Day 90, and Day 180 post-enrollment.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Xiangya Hospital of Central South 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 (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 12, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 8, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2025122202 (Registry Identifier: Xiangya Hospital)

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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