Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT03865771

Sleep Related Memory Consolidation in Children With Age Related Focal Epilepsy.

Age related focal epilepsies in children encompasses, according to the ILAE criteria, benign epilepsy with centro temporal spikes (BECTS), atypical benign partial epilepsy (ABPE) and epileptic encephalopathy with continuous spike and waves during sleep (ECSWS). These non structural epilepsies are associated with interictal sleep spike and waves activated by sleep. Moreover, high prevalence of learning disorders occur in children with age related epilepsies. A correlation is suspected between learning disorders and sleep activation of spike and waves. The investigators suppose that learning dysfunction is linked to loss of information during sleep of epileptic children, unlike for control patients. As sleep allows memory consolidation of words learned during wakefulness, an epileptic activity during sleep may disrupt this consolidation, leading to a loss of information.

Hypothesis: the investigators hypothesize a disruption of memory consolidation after one night in children affected with ABPE and ECSWS (severe group) compared to memory consolidation in children affected with BECTS (benign group), and control group.

Primary purpose:

To demonstrate that the deficit of delayed recall in 15 word learning test after one night is higher for the "severe group", compared to the "benign group" and the control group.

Secondary purposes:

* to study the evolution over time of memory consolidation * to evaluate the correlation of the deficit of delayed recall with executive dysfunction, clinical factors of epilepsy, neurophysiological factors of epilepsy, and sleep architecture

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Age range

6 year–13 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Hopital D'Enfants Pediatrie Medicale Ambulatoire, Nancy, France

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Principal:

  • normal psychomotor development
  • informed consent signed by both parents and subject if able
  • affiliated to social security regimen

Specific

Patients from "severe" and "benign" groups:

  • focal age related epilepsy: BECTS, ABPE, ECSWS (ILAE criteria)
  • children hospitalized for their follow-up
  • normal neuroimaging

Control group

-children hospitalized for a non neurologic disease

Exclusion criteria

Principal:

Psychiatric trouble (DSM V) Sensorial trouble without correction Poor command of French language Minor under care

Specific

Patients from "severe" and "benign" groups:

  • degenerative disease
  • abnormal neuroimaging
  • mental deficiency

Control group

  • neurologic trouble
  • abnormal sleep EEG
  • intellectual deficiency

Treatment and study plan

neuropsychological testing

Behavioral

memory, executive testing, behaviour questionnaire, visual attention,

Neuropsychological procedure

Behavioral

Rey auditory verbal learning test, Delayed recall : 1h, 5h, 24h (after one night sleep)

Video EEG and polysomnography

Other

Video EEG : 10 electrodes + 3 electrodes for PSG 2h wake EEG Whole night EEG

Primary outcomes

  1. memory lapse rate at 24 hours in the severe group, the benign group and the control group. ("memory lapse rate": rate of non recalled words number, during the delayed recall phase of the test, related to the maximal number of words recalled

    Time frame: 24 hours

Secondary outcomes

  1. memory lapse rate for each group

    Time frame: at 1 hour, 5 hours, 24 hours

  2. Correlation of memory lapse rate with Executive functioning tests scores

    Time frame: at 1 hour, 5 hours, 24 hours

  3. Correlation of memory lapse rate with age of onset, epilepsy phase, treatment

    Time frame: at 1 hour, 5 hours, 24 hours

  4. Correlation of memory lapse rate with EEG severity scale, atypical criteria, EEG focus localization, sleep discharges frequency

    Time frame: at 1 hour, 5 hours, 24 hours

  5. Correlation of memory lapse rate with number and organization of sleep cycles

    Time frame: at 1 hour, 5 hours, 24 hours

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Anne DE SAINT MARTIN, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+ 33 3.88.12.83.98

Lucille SCHNEIDER

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital, Strasbourg, France

Other

Registry information

Acronym: EPIMEM

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Mar 7, 2019
Registry last updated
Dec 5, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.