Spatial Learning in patients with epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosisV1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Rapid spatial learning performance of patients with epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis on a new computer based virtual maze test
IRAS ID
191648
Contact name
Tobias Bast
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
We aim to examine whether a computer-based maze test can detect damage to a part of the brain called ’hippocampus’. The hippocampus sits underneath our temples and is important for a number of brain functions, including everyday memory. The hippocampus is often found to be abnormal in epilepsy, and some people with epilepsy show damage to the hippocampus, which is called ’hippocampal sclerosis’.\n \nSpecifically, we will test participants’ ability to learn and remember new places and return to them in a virtual environment presented on computer screen. Rats with partial damage to the hippocampus (caused by experimental lesions) have difficulty on a similar test, where they need to learn and remember places of hidden objects. We aim to test if our maze test, which has been adapted from the rat test, can also detect damage to the hippocampus by comparing how participants with and without hippocampal damage do on the test. \n\nParticipants will be invited who have a known diagnosis of epilepsy with and without damage to the hippocampus. This damage will be known to clinicians from previous brain scans.Healthy volunteers will be invited from the School of Psychology database of potentially interested people. \n\nThe new test might be a useful tool to probe hippocampal dysfunction (specifically deficits in spatial memory) in human participants and might facilitate translation of our findings from rat studies to humans. The research may help to develop treatments to help overcome the memory impairments in patients with epilepsy.\n\nParticipants are invited to attend for one session lasting no longer than 2 hours with breaks. The clinicians involved in the study have given permission for participants to be tested after their clinic appointments in a private office space. If this is not possible, participants may be invited to attend at the School of Psychology.\n
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/1105
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion