Epilepsy Paid Clinical Trials in Minnesota

By carrying a careful, large-scale and ambitious prospective study of a cohort of participants with generalized epilepsy, the study team hopes to clarify the likelihood of response and remission in this type of epilepsy, and try to explore the underlying biological drivers of treatment response, including novel realms of exploration such as impact of the microbiome, and genetics. The identification of biomarkers that predict the likelihood of disease response would allow epilepsy patients to make more informed decisions about the factors affecting their quality of life, including plans for driving, relationships, pregnancy, schooling, work, and play. In addition to its impact on clinical care, the data and specimens collected in HEP3, including sequential electrophysiology, biochemical profiles and neuroimaging and banked DNA for future genomics studies, have the potential to provide new insights into the biological basis of IGE, thereby advancing the discovery of effective treatments and cures. By enrolling both newly diagnosed subjects (prognosis unknown) as well as subjects with established IGE who are already determined to be treatment resistant or treatment responsive, the study team can immediately test potential biomarkers in a confirmation cohort, which will accelerate identification of predictive biomarkers. Read Less

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is used to treat epilepsy in cases where patients are medically refractory and are not candidates for surgical resection. This therapy has been shown to be effective in seizure reduction, yet very few patients achieve the ultimate goal of seizure freedom. Implantable neural stimulators (INSs) have many parameters that may be adjusted, and could be tuned to achieve very patient specific therapies. This study will develop a platform for stimulation setting optimization based on power spectral density (PSD) measures. Read Less

Epilepsy is a common condition which affects over 3 million people in the US. Patients with uncontrolled epilepsy have a lifetime risk of sudden unexpected death (SUDEP) of 35%, which is greatest in those under 40 years of age. The exact mechanisms and causes are not understood but can be due to underlying conditions which affect the heart and brain, which may lead to dangerous heart rhythms and death. Some of these conditions which affect heart and brain have an identifiable genetic cause. This study aims to identify known genetic causes of heart rhythm and sudden death related disorders in patients with epilepsy. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and initial effectiveness of Exablate thermal ablation of a focal epileptic target area in the brain of patients suffering from medication-refractory epilepsy, using the Exablate transcranial system to produce multiple sonications targeted in the focus of interest. The investigators will establish the feasibility and collect data to establish the basic safety of this type of treatment as the basis for later studies that will evaluate its full clinical efficacy. Read Less