EpilepsyNCT05152992
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Human Emotion Network
A study testing Viewing visual stimuli and electrical stimulation of the brain in people with Epilepsy and Depression, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The overall goal of this study is to elucidate how emotion network dynamics relate to the behavioral, autonomic, and experiential changes that accompany emotions and to investigate how emotion network dysfunction relates to affective symptoms. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 80 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Epilepsy, Depression, Anxiety
- What is being tested?
- Viewing visual stimuli and electrical stimulation of the brain
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 70 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 20 Apr 2015to 30 Jun 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 80 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Participants with epilepsy at UCSF undergoing surgical electrode implantation for seizure localization and
- Participants with electrodes implanted in at least two regions of interest who are willing and able to cooperate with study tasks.
Who cannot join
- Participants who lack capacity or decline to provide informed consent,
- Participants who have significant cerebral lesions or
- Participants with cognitive deficits that preclude reliable completion of study tasks.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, 94143
About this study
The overall goal of this study is to elucidate how emotion network dynamics relate to the behavioral, autonomic, and experiential changes that accompany emotions and to investigate how emotion network dysfunction relates to affective symptoms. Affective symptoms are a common feature of neuropsychiatric disorders that reflect dysfunction in a distributed brain network that supports emotion. How aberrant functioning in a single emotion network underlies a wide range of affective symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, is not well understood. Anchored by the anterior cingulate cortex and ventral anterior insula, the emotion network responds to numerous affective stimuli. The recording of neural activity directly from the cortical surface from individuals is a promising approach since intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) can provide direct estimates of neuronal populations to map the spatiotemporal dynamics of the emotion network at a millisecond level resolution. This study will exam how activity within emotion network hubs changes during emotions and how emotion network properties make some individuals more vulnerable to affective symptoms than others. A multidisciplinary approach is critical for understanding the dynamic brain network to advance neuroanatomical models of emotions and for guiding the development of novel treatments for affective symptoms.
Read the detailed description
Intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings make it possible to obtain direct measures of emotion network dynamics not possible with other methods. This study proposes to conduct a multimodal assessment of emotions in patients with epilepsy who are undergoing surgery for seizure localization. Electrodes will be placed in sites based on the clinical needs of each patient and will include sites within and outside of the emotion network. The research study team will examine measures of behavior, autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, and subjective experience to continuous iEEG recordings to determine how emotion network dynamics relate to emotions and affective symptoms. Affective symptoms are common in epilepsy, with nearly one third of patients meeting diagnostic criteria for a severe anxiety or depressive disorder during their lifetimes. This clinical population offers a unique opportunity to obtain direct recordings of emotion network activity with concurrent measures of emotion physiology and behavior. The aims of this study seeks to determine how emotion network activity relates to naturalistic affective behaviors (Aim 1), whether we can uncover the unique neural signatures of discrete emotions and examine their relation to task-based measures of emotional reactivity (Aim 2), and whether electrical stimulation of emotion network changes network activity and alters emotions, mood, and anxiety (Aim 3). Together, these aims will help to uncover the neural mechanisms that produce, sense, and regulate emotions. These results should heavily impact the current understanding of the neurobiological systems that underlie affective symptoms and, therefore, will have significant implications for identifying biomarkers of system dysfunction to guide development of new treatments.
- Conditions
- Epilepsy, Depression, Anxiety, Emotions
- Being tested
- Viewing visual stimuli and electrical stimulation of the brain
- Medical subject headings
- Epilepsy, Depression, Anxiety Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Viewing visual stimuli and electrical stimulation of the brainBehavioural
View emotionally evocative videos and undergo stimulation of brain regions involved in emotion. In a 20-minute block (5 total blocks), eighteen 30-second movie clips will be used to elicit different categories of emotions (sadness, fear, disgust, awe, affection, and amusement). Additionally, each hub of the emotion network will be stimulated to identify areas that generate similar emotional states as those elicited by the videos. Each stimulation trial consists of 3 minutes of 1-3 mA, 50 Hz, 100 us pulse-width stimulation.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Video and stimulation-based induction of emotion | Experimental | Participants viewed visual stimuli while undergoing stimulation of brain regions involved in emotion during their inpatient hospitalization at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Receives: Behavioral: Viewing visual stimuli and electrical stimulation of the brain |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Mean Change from Baseline in Heart Rate
The mean change from baseline in heart rate is calculated as the average change in heart rate across trials of each emotion video type and stimulated network hub (units: beats/minute). The change from baseline in heart rate on each trial is calculated as: change = (mean heart rate during a trial) - (mean heart rate prior to the trial). Note: this is one of three components of the autonomic nervous system activity outcome measure.
Measured: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
Mean Change from Baseline in Respiratory Rate
The mean change from baseline in respiratory rate is calculated as the average change in respiratory rate across trials of each emotion video type and stimulated network hub (units: breaths/minute). The change from baseline in respiratory rate on each trial is calculated as: change = (mean respiratory rate during a trial) - (mean respiratory rate prior to the trial). Note: this is one of three components of the autonomic nervous system activity outcome measure.
Measured: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
Mean change from Baseline in Electrodermal Activity
The mean change from baseline in Electrodermal Activity (EDA) is calculated as the average change in EDA across trials of each emotion video type and stimulated network hub (units: microsiemens).The change from baseline in electrodermal activity on each trial is calculated as: change = (mean electrodermal activity during a trial) - (mean electrodermal activity prior to the trial). Note: this is one of three components of the autonomic nervous system activity outcome measure.
Measured: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
Mean Facial Expression Activity
Mean facial expression activity (units: activation intensity) is quantified for each video emotion type and stimulated network hub. This is measured using the validated Emotional Facial Action Coding System (FACS) to provide a continuous rating of activity in 28 facial muscles using an intensity scale from 1 (trace) to 5 (maximum). The activity scores of all muscles and across the duration of a trial will be summed to quantify the total facial expression activity of that trial. Trials will be averaged for each video emotion type and stimulated network hub to obtain mean facial expression activity.
Measured: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
Mean Change from Baseline in Neural Activity within the Emotion Network
The mean change from baseline in neural activity is calculated as the average change in neural activity across trials of each emotion video type and stimulated network hub (units: z-scored neural activity relative to the pretrial baseline). The change from baseline in neural activity on each trial is calculated as: change = (z-scored mean neural activity across the network during a trial) - (z-scored mean neural activity across the network prior to the trial).
Measured: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
Secondary outcomes (1)
Mean Subjective Experience
The mean subjective experience is calculated as the average subjective experience rating across trials of each emotion video type and stimulated network hub (units: arbitrary units [a.u.] on a scale from 0-10; 0 = no emotion felt, 10 = maximum emotion felt ). Trials will be averaged for each video emotion type and stimulated network hub to obtain mean subjective experience.
Measured: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Dec 2021
- Study start20 Apr 2015
- Primary completion30 Jun 2026
- Study completion30 Jun 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for EpilepsyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, San FranciscoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 70 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San Francisco
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- San Francisco State University, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Edward F Chang, MD, Principal investigator, University of California, San FranciscoVirginia Sturm, PhD, Principal investigator, University of California, San Francisco
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05152992
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- R01MH122431
- Other IDs
- R01MH122431
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 29 Nov 2021
- Last updated
- 15 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Human Emotion Network
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05152992
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- R01MH122431
- Conditions
- Epilepsy, Depression, Anxiety, Emotions
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 70 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San FranciscoUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- San Francisco State University, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Study start
- 20 Apr 2015 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 10 Dec 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The overall goal of this study is to elucidate how emotion network dynamics relate to the behavioral, autonomic, and experiential changes that accompany emotions and to investigate how emotion network dysfunction relates to affective symptoms. Affective symptoms are a common feature of neuropsychiatric disorders that reflect dysfunction in a distributed brain network that supports emotion. How aberrant functioning in a single emotion network underlies a wide range of affective symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, is not well understood. Anchored by the anterior cingulate cortex and ventral anterior insula, the emotion network responds to numerous affective stimuli. The recording of neural activity directly from the cortical surface from individuals is a promising approach since intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) can provide direct estimates of neuronal populations to map the spatiotemporal dynamics of the emotion network at a millisecond level resolution. This study will exam how activity within emotion network hubs changes during emotions and how emotion network properties make some individuals more vulnerable to affective symptoms than others. A multidisciplinary approach is critical for understanding the dynamic brain network to advance neuroanatomical models of emotions and for guiding the development of novel treatments for affective symptoms.
Detailed description
Intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings make it possible to obtain direct measures of emotion network dynamics not possible with other methods. This study proposes to conduct a multimodal assessment of emotions in patients with epilepsy who are undergoing surgery for seizure localization. Electrodes will be placed in sites based on the clinical needs of each patient and will include sites within and outside of the emotion network. The research study team will examine measures of behavior, autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, and subjective experience to continuous iEEG recordings to determine how emotion network dynamics relate to emotions and affective symptoms. Affective symptoms are common in epilepsy, with nearly one third of patients meeting diagnostic criteria for a severe anxiety or depressive disorder during their lifetimes. This clinical population offers a unique opportunity to obtain direct recordings of emotion network activity with concurrent measures of emotion physiology and behavior. The aims of this study seeks to determine how emotion network activity relates to naturalistic affective behaviors (Aim 1), whether we can uncover the unique neural signatures of discrete emotions and examine their relation to task-based measures of emotional reactivity (Aim 2), and whether electrical stimulation of emotion network changes network activity and alters emotions, mood, and anxiety (Aim 3). Together, these aims will help to uncover the neural mechanisms that produce, sense, and regulate emotions. These results should heavily impact the current understanding of the neurobiological systems that underlie affective symptoms and, therefore, will have significant implications for identifying biomarkers of system dysfunction to guide development of new treatments.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Video and stimulation-based induction of emotion | Experimental | Behavioral: Viewing visual stimuli and electrical stimulation of the brainParticipants viewed visual stimuli while undergoing stimulation of brain regions involved in emotion during their inpatient hospitalization at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Participants with epilepsy at UCSF undergoing surgical electrode implantation for seizure localization and
- Participants with electrodes implanted in at least two regions of interest who are willing and able to cooperate with study tasks.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Participants who lack capacity or decline to provide informed consent,
- Participants who have significant cerebral lesions or
- Participants with cognitive deficits that preclude reliable completion of study tasks.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Viewing visual stimuli and electrical stimulation of the brainView emotionally evocative videos and undergo stimulation of brain regions involved in emotion. In a 20-minute block (5 total blocks), eighteen 30-second movie clips will be used to elicit different categories of emotions (sadness, fear, disgust, awe, affection, and amusement). Additionally, each hub of the emotion network will be stimulated to identify areas that generate similar emotional states as those elicited by the videos. Each stimulation trial consists of 3 minutes of 1-3 mA, 50 Hz, 100 us pulse-width stimulation. | Behavioural | Video and stimulation-based induction of emotion |
Primary outcome
Mean Change from Baseline in Heart Rate
Time frame: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
The mean change from baseline in heart rate is calculated as the average change in heart rate across trials of each emotion video type and stimulated network hub (units: beats/minute). The change from baseline in heart rate on each trial is calculated as: change = (mean heart rate during a trial) - (mean heart rate prior to the trial). Note: this is one of three components of the autonomic nervous system activity outcome measure.
Mean Change from Baseline in Respiratory Rate
Time frame: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
The mean change from baseline in respiratory rate is calculated as the average change in respiratory rate across trials of each emotion video type and stimulated network hub (units: breaths/minute). The change from baseline in respiratory rate on each trial is calculated as: change = (mean respiratory rate during a trial) - (mean respiratory rate prior to the trial). Note: this is one of three components of the autonomic nervous system activity outcome measure.
Mean change from Baseline in Electrodermal Activity
Time frame: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
The mean change from baseline in Electrodermal Activity (EDA) is calculated as the average change in EDA across trials of each emotion video type and stimulated network hub (units: microsiemens).The change from baseline in electrodermal activity on each trial is calculated as: change = (mean electrodermal activity during a trial) - (mean electrodermal activity prior to the trial). Note: this is one of three components of the autonomic nervous system activity outcome measure.
Mean Facial Expression Activity
Time frame: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
Mean facial expression activity (units: activation intensity) is quantified for each video emotion type and stimulated network hub. This is measured using the validated Emotional Facial Action Coding System (FACS) to provide a continuous rating of activity in 28 facial muscles using an intensity scale from 1 (trace) to 5 (maximum). The activity scores of all muscles and across the duration of a trial will be summed to quantify the total facial expression activity of that trial. Trials will be averaged for each video emotion type and stimulated network hub to obtain mean facial expression activity.
Mean Change from Baseline in Neural Activity within the Emotion Network
Time frame: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
The mean change from baseline in neural activity is calculated as the average change in neural activity across trials of each emotion video type and stimulated network hub (units: z-scored neural activity relative to the pretrial baseline). The change from baseline in neural activity on each trial is calculated as: change = (z-scored mean neural activity across the network during a trial) - (z-scored mean neural activity across the network prior to the trial).
1 secondary outcome
Mean Subjective Experience
Time frame: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Edward F Chang, MD principal investigator
University of California, San Francisco
Virginia Sturm, PhD principal investigator
University of California, San Francisco
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Viewing visual stimuli and electrical stimulation of the brain in people with Epilepsy and Depression, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Mean Change from Baseline in Heart Rate (time frame: During inpatient hospitalization, approximately 4-14 days). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Sep 2026.