Pulvinar Stimulation in Epilepsy: a Pilot Study

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is one of the neuromodulation techniques that can be indicated in patients suffering from refractory epilepsies, especially when an open resection has failed or is not indicated, and vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) demonstrated no efficacy. Benefits such as reduction of seizure frequency have been shown for thalamic stimulation of the anterior thalamic nucleus (ANT), however it has limited efficacy and non-optimal neurocognitive outcome, making the search for other targets crucial in this context. We propose a novel target for DBS stimulation in drug-resistant epilepsy namely the medial pulvinar thalamic nucleus (PuM). This target has been chosen based on previous retrospective studies demonstrating that PuM is involved during focal seizures and in loss of consciousness and seizure termination. PuM stimulation also showed potential encouraging results based on the feasibility and safetu studies recently published. The main objective is to obtain a significant percentage of seizure reduction after 12 months of PuM stimulation compared to baseline period. Quality of life and the relationship with psychiatric and cognitive comorbidities will also be assessed.

NCT Number	NCT04692701
Lead Sponsor	Assistance Publique Hopitaux De Marseille
Conditions	Epilepsy
Enrollment	12 participants
Start Date	2021-01-15
Primary Completion	2023-10-23 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-07-08 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-08-10