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Herpes Virus-6 and Epilepsy

NCT00085683 · Status: COMPLETED · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 45

Last updated 2008-03-04

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This study will explore whether the human herpes virus-6 is associated with epileptic seizures. The virus may be involved in brain scarring, called mesial temporal sclerosis, which is seen in some epilepsy patients. The virus is also thought possibly to interfere with neurotransmitters - chemicals that brain cells use to communicate with each other. This study will measure levels of two of these chemicals, GABA and glutamate, which are believed to play a role in the development of seizures.

Patients with epilepsy, with or without mesial temporal sclerosis, and healthy control subjects 18 years of age and older may be eligible for this study. Control subjects may not be taking any medication on a regular basis. Epilepsy patients may take only phenytoin, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, lamotrigine, or levetiracetam. Candidates are screened with a physical examination and blood tests.

Participants have blood drawn and undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and lumbar puncture (spinal tap).

Blood Draw

Up to four teaspoons of blood are drawn through a needle in the arm for this study.

MRI

MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce pictures of the brain. The scanner is a metal cylinder surrounded by a strong magnetic field. During the scan, the subject lies on a bed that slides into the cylinder, wearing earplugs to muffle loud noises the machine makes when the magnetic fields are switched. The scan takes about 90 to 120 minutes, during which time the subject can communicate with the technician.

Lumbar Puncture

For this test the subject sits upright or lies on his or her side with knees curled at the chest. A local anesthetic is injected at the lower back, and a needle is inserted in the space between the bones where the cerebrospinal fluid circulates below the spinal cord. A small amount of fluid is collected through the needle. Collection of the fluid usually takes from 5 to 20 minutes.

Conditions

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

    lead NIH

Eligibility

Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2004-06-30
Completion
2005-07-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00085683 on ClinicalTrials.gov