EpilepsyNCT07224191
Hippocampal Oscillations During Exploration
A study testing Visual Exploration and Ambulatory Exploration in people with Epilepsy, run by NYU Langone Health at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The objective of this study is to determine how visuomotor exploration relates to hippocampal activity along its long axis. The study will investigate the neurophysiological mechanisms in the hippocampus during (1) visual exploration in surgical patients using high-resolution iEEG, and (2) ambulatory exploration in… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 70 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Epilepsy
- What is being tested?
- Visual Exploration and Ambulatory Exploration
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 56 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 25 Feb 2026to 8 Oct 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 70 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- All subjects:
- Adults (18-70 years)
- Able to provide informed consent
- Aim 1: Surgical epilepsy patients' inclusion criteria
- Implanted hippocampal depth electrodes for Stage 1 epilepsy surgery
- MMSE>=24
Show all 13Show fewer
- Aim 2: RNS patients Inclusion criteria
- Implanted RNS device with at least one hippocampal depth electrode
- At least 5 months post-implantation to avoid the post-implant effect
- Have a relatively low number of seizures, defined as <1 generalized tonic-clonic or other seizure with potential to fall or cause injury per month
- Able to walk and wear research equipment without assistance
- MMSE>=24
- Aim 2: Healthy Control Inclusion criteria • Able to walk and wear research equipment without assistance
Who cannot join
- RNS patients, Aim 2:
- Any generalized tonic-clonic seizure within the last week
- All subjects:
- Legally blind
- Smoking tobacco, marijuana, recreational drugs or alcohol use within 1 week of cognitive testing
- Unable to give informed consent
- Pregnancy
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
NYU Langone Health
New York, New York, 10016
About this study
Official title: Human Hippocampal Oscillations During Visuomotor Exploration
The objective of this study is to determine how visuomotor exploration relates to hippocampal activity along its long axis. The study will investigate the neurophysiological mechanisms in the hippocampus during (1) visual exploration in surgical patients using high-resolution iEEG, and (2) ambulatory exploration in patients implanted with RNS devices.
Read the detailed description
Aim 1 - Visual Exploration in Surgical Patients Investigators will study 20 surgical patients with high-resolution intracranial EEG (iEEG) to investigate hippocampal activity during visual exploration. Participants will view between 10-15 panoramic environments using Meta Quest AR/VR glasses while their eye movements and head turns are tracked. Eye-tracking, head-turn, and iEEG data will be synchronized with visual stimuli, and intracranial EEG and single-unit data will be analyzed for changes in neuronal firing and brain activity before and after saccades.
Aim 2 - Ambulatory Exploration in RNS Patients and Healthy Controls Investigators will study 12 epilepsy patients with implanted responsive neurostimulator (RNS) devices and 24 healthy controls (HCs) during real-world exploration. Participants will walk through and explore visually distinct rooms while wearing synchronized high-density EEG (hdEEG), eye-tracking glasses, and body position sensors. Data from hippocampal iEEG, hdEEG, eye tracking, and motion sensors will be synchronized offline to examine brain-behavior relationships and the influence of cognitive load on saccade-hippocampal interactions.
- Conditions
- Epilepsy
- Being tested
- Visual Exploration, Ambulatory Exploration
- Medical subject headings
- Epilepsy
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Visual ExplorationOther
Cognitive testing while admitted to the epilepsy monitoring unit (number of sessions will vary depending on patient availability and stamina).
Ambulatory ExplorationOther
Series of cognitive tasks completed during a study visit.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Epilepsy Surgery Patients | Experimental | Aim 1: Participants will be presented with between 10-15 unique immersive virtual environments (depending on patient tolerance) for patients to explore using VR glasses. Control tasks will be run to account for eye movements during non-navigation. For recording eye movements in darkness during REM sleep, as part of a control task, 4 electrodes will be placed above and below both eyes, a standard technique in polysomnographic studies. Receives: Other: Visual Exploration |
| Patients with RNS Devices | Experimental | Aim 2: Participants will walk between 4-6 rooms within an office floor. Each office will contain generic objects (office furniture, computers, lighting) and unique objects (artwork, photographs, books, and personal items). As control conditions, subjects will first be asked to walk around and between two empty rooms under different lighting conditions and speeds. Participants will also be asked to participate in all awake saccade control conditions (without a visual cognitive load). Receives: Other: Ambulatory Exploration |
| Healthy Control Participants | Experimental | Aim 2: Participants will walk between 4-6 rooms within an office floor. Each office will contain generic objects (office furniture, computers, lighting) and unique objects (artwork, photographs, books, and personal items). As control conditions, subjects will first be asked to walk around and between two empty rooms under different lighting conditions and speeds. Participants will also be asked to participate in all awake saccade control conditions (without a visual cognitive load). Receives: Other: Ambulatory Exploration |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Hippocampal Theta Power Under High Cognitive Loads
Aims 1 and 2. High cognitive loads defined as visual exploration of a complex scene with goal-driven task.
Measured: Study Visit (Day 1)
Hippocampal Theta Power Under Medium Cognitive Loads
Aims 1 and 2. Medium cognitive loads defined as visual exploration of a simpler scene with fewer objects.
Measured: Study Visit (Day 1)
Hippocampal Theta Power Under Low Cognitive Loads
Aims 1 and 2. Low cognitive loads defined as visual exploration of moving dots.
Measured: Study Visit (Day 1)
Hippocampal Theta Power Under No Cognitive Loads
Aims 1 and 2. Low cognitive loads defined as staring at a blank field of view or REM sleep.
Measured: Study Visit (Day 1)
Coherence Time-Locked to the Saccade Under High Cognitive Loads
Aims 1 and 2. High cognitive loads defined as visual exploration of a complex scene with goal-driven task.
Measured: Study Visit (Day 1)
Coherence Time-Locked to the Saccade Under Medium Cognitive Loads
Aims 1 and 2. Medium cognitive loads defined as visual exploration of a simpler scene with fewer objects.
Measured: Study Visit (Day 1)
Coherence Time-Locked to the Saccade Under Low Cognitive Loads
Aims 1 and 2. Low cognitive loads defined as staring at a blank field of view or REM sleep.
Measured: Study Visit (Day 1)
Coherence Time-Locked to the Saccade Under No Cognitive Loads
Aims 1 and 2. Low cognitive loads defined as staring at a blank field of view or REM sleep.
Measured: Study Visit (Day 1)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted4 Nov 2025
- Study start25 Feb 2026
- Primary completion8 Oct 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion8 Oct 2028 (estimated)
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 NYU Langone HealthThe 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
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 56 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- NYU Langone Health
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Anli Liu, MD, MA, Principal investigator, NYU Langone Health
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07224191
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 25-01119
- Other IDs
- R61DC022830-01
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 31 Oct 2025
- Last updated
- 8 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: The study will upload data into openneuro.org or comparable neuroscience data sharing platform, with data uploaded on a basis as specified by the conditions of awards supporting this research.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Human Hippocampal Oscillations During Visuomotor Exploration
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07224191
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 25-01119
- Conditions
- Epilepsy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 56 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- NYU Langone HealthUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
- Study start
- 25 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 8 Oct 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 8 Oct 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 4 Nov 2025 (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 objective of this study is to determine how visuomotor exploration relates to hippocampal activity along its long axis. The study will investigate the neurophysiological mechanisms in the hippocampus during (1) visual exploration in surgical patients using high-resolution iEEG, and (2) ambulatory exploration in patients implanted with RNS devices.
Detailed description
Aim 1 - Visual Exploration in Surgical Patients Investigators will study 20 surgical patients with high-resolution intracranial EEG (iEEG) to investigate hippocampal activity during visual exploration. Participants will view between 10-15 panoramic environments using Meta Quest AR/VR glasses while their eye movements and head turns are tracked. Eye-tracking, head-turn, and iEEG data will be synchronized with visual stimuli, and intracranial EEG and single-unit data will be analyzed for changes in neuronal firing and brain activity before and after saccades.
Aim 2 - Ambulatory Exploration in RNS Patients and Healthy Controls Investigators will study 12 epilepsy patients with implanted responsive neurostimulator (RNS) devices and 24 healthy controls (HCs) during real-world exploration. Participants will walk through and explore visually distinct rooms while wearing synchronized high-density EEG (hdEEG), eye-tracking glasses, and body position sensors. Data from hippocampal iEEG, hdEEG, eye tracking, and motion sensors will be synchronized offline to examine brain-behavior relationships and the influence of cognitive load on saccade-hippocampal interactions.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Epilepsy Surgery Patients | Experimental | Other: Visual ExplorationAim 1: Participants will be presented with between 10-15 unique immersive virtual environments (depending on patient tolerance) for patients to explore using VR glasses. Control tasks will be run to account for eye movements during non-navigation. For recording eye movements in darkness during REM sleep, as part of a control task, 4 electrodes will be placed above and below both eyes, a standard technique in polysomnographic studies. |
| Patients with RNS Devices | Experimental | Other: Ambulatory ExplorationAim 2: Participants will walk between 4-6 rooms within an office floor. Each office will contain generic objects (office furniture, computers, lighting) and unique objects (artwork, photographs, books, and personal items). As control conditions, subjects will first be asked to walk around and between two empty rooms under different lighting conditions and speeds. Participants will also be asked to participate in all awake saccade control conditions (without a visual cognitive load). |
| Healthy Control Participants | Experimental | Other: Ambulatory ExplorationAim 2: Participants will walk between 4-6 rooms within an office floor. Each office will contain generic objects (office furniture, computers, lighting) and unique objects (artwork, photographs, books, and personal items). As control conditions, subjects will first be asked to walk around and between two empty rooms under different lighting conditions and speeds. Participants will also be asked to participate in all awake saccade control conditions (without a visual cognitive load). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (13 listed)
- Adults (18-70 years)
- Able to provide informed consent
- Aim 1: Surgical epilepsy patients' inclusion criteria
- Implanted hippocampal depth electrodes for Stage 1 epilepsy surgery
- MMSE>=24
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Any generalized tonic-clonic seizure within the last week
- Legally blind
- Smoking tobacco, marijuana, recreational drugs or alcohol use within 1 week of cognitive testing
- Unable to give informed consent
- Pregnancy
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Visual ExplorationCognitive testing while admitted to the epilepsy monitoring unit (number of sessions will vary depending on patient availability and stamina). | Other | Epilepsy Surgery Patients |
| Ambulatory ExplorationSeries of cognitive tasks completed during a study visit. | Other | Healthy Control Participants, Patients with RNS Devices |
Primary outcome
Hippocampal Theta Power Under High Cognitive Loads
Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1)
Aims 1 and 2. High cognitive loads defined as visual exploration of a complex scene with goal-driven task.
Hippocampal Theta Power Under Medium Cognitive Loads
Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1)
Aims 1 and 2. Medium cognitive loads defined as visual exploration of a simpler scene with fewer objects.
Hippocampal Theta Power Under Low Cognitive Loads
Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1)
Aims 1 and 2. Low cognitive loads defined as visual exploration of moving dots.
Hippocampal Theta Power Under No Cognitive Loads
Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1)
Aims 1 and 2. Low cognitive loads defined as staring at a blank field of view or REM sleep.
Coherence Time-Locked to the Saccade Under High Cognitive Loads
Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1)
Aims 1 and 2. High cognitive loads defined as visual exploration of a complex scene with goal-driven task.
Coherence Time-Locked to the Saccade Under Medium Cognitive Loads
Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1)
Aims 1 and 2. Medium cognitive loads defined as visual exploration of a simpler scene with fewer objects.
Coherence Time-Locked to the Saccade Under Low Cognitive Loads
Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1)
Aims 1 and 2. Low cognitive loads defined as staring at a blank field of view or REM sleep.
Coherence Time-Locked to the Saccade Under No Cognitive Loads
Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1)
Aims 1 and 2. Low cognitive loads defined as staring at a blank field of view or REM sleep.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 8 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. The study will upload data into openneuro.org or comparable neuroscience data sharing platform, with data uploaded on a basis as specified by the conditions of awards supporting this research.
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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.
Anli Liu, MD, MA principal investigator
NYU Langone Health
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Visual Exploration and Ambulatory Exploration in people with Epilepsy, run by NYU Langone Health 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 13 inclusion and 7 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Jul 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Anli Liu, MD, MA ((929) 455-2323, Anli.Liu@nyulangone.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Hippocampal Theta Power Under High Cognitive Loads (time frame: Study Visit (Day 1)). The study lists 8 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 8 Jul 2026.