Behavioral and Pharmacological Manipulation of Time Cell Activity in the Human Mesial Temporal Lobe
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Summary
The goal of this study is to learn about the effects of scopolamine (an anticholinergic drug) on areas of the brain involved in memory, and changes it may have on brain activity. The investigators will do this by testing epileptic patients who are already undergoing intracranial surgery for seizure monitoring, and measuring the activity from the brain areas being assessed. The main questions it aims to answer are 1) whether scopolamine changes memory activity solely at encoding (the time when the person perceives and determines to remember an item or event) as has previously been found, or if it also can selectively impact retrieval (when the item or event which has been processed is recalled or remembered), and 2) what the nature of the brain activity changes is. Participants will complete two treatment arms. One of these will be with the drug, and the other will be with a saline solution, so that the participants are unaware which session the actual drug has been received. Patients will complete a verbal and/or spatial task each of the two days. An anesthesiologist will administer either the drug or the saline at a critical point which addresses both of the research questions. Researchers will compare the brain activity between the two treatment arms to determine what brain activity changes, and at what time point during memory formation.
Description
Patient Identification : The study team plans to recruit adult patients who are undergoing invasive electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring as part of a standard clinical procedure for the treatment of pharmacologically resistant epilepsy at UT Southwestern. Patients are identified from the pool of patients presented at the epilepsy management conference and approached when presented to the clinic for evaluation for seizure surgery. Study Procedures: Participation takes place only during the time that the electrodes are surgically in place. Active participation will end when the electrodes a…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–55 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Patient inclusion criteria: 1. Age 18 - 55 years, all races/ethnicities, and both genders are eligible. 2. Candidates for pre-operative evaluation using stereo intracranial electrodes and admission to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) as determined independently by the patient's treating physician as part of the patient's routine medical care. 3. Able to read, understand, and provide written, dated informed consent prior to screening. 4. In good general health, aside from a history of epilepsy, as ascertained by medical history, physical examination (PE), clinical laboratory evaluations, and…
Interventions
- DrugScopolamine (0.4mg)
Patient receives a dose of scopolamine (0.4mg) via IV fifteen minutes prior to spatial or episodic memory task/completion.
- DrugPlacebo
Patient receives a dose of saline via IV fifteen minutes prior to spatial or episodic memory task/completion.
Location
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallas, Texas