Stopped: Following the internal pilot, the study did not meet prespecified stop/go criteria for continuation.
Rolandic epilepsy (RE) is the most common type of epilepsy. Children with RE have seizures and can often find that their learning, sleep, behaviour, self-esteem and mood are affected. As part of standard NHS care, children diagnosed with RE may be treated with standard anti-epileptic medicines, like carbamazepine, or no medicine at all. The medicines used to treat epilepsy often slow down a child's thinking and learning. In the past, doctors believed this was an acceptable price to pay to reduce seizures. However, with RE, where the seizures usually stop in teenage years, investigators do not know if it is better to treat these children with medicines or not, especially if the medicines might have a negative effect on their learning. A newer medicine called levetiracetam has also been found to work in children with RE and has shown less problems with thinking and learning in adults. However, it is still no known if this is also the case for children and it has not been proven which of the three options (carbamazepine, levetiracetam or no treatment) would be best for RE patients. The CASTLE study aims to find this out. In addition, it has been found that seizures often happen when a child has had poor sleep and they often come at night or early in the morning. It has been shown that sleep can be improved through practice without the need of medicines. There are established guidelines to help toddlers go to sleep, but nothing available that helps young people with epilepsy and their parents improve their sleep quality. In the CASTLE study, a sleep training plan has been developed for children with epilepsy and the trial aims to find out whether following this sleep training plan results in less seizures than using no sleep training at all.
Age range
5 Years – 12 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
Time to 6-month seizure remission
Timeframe: Up to 48 months
Change from baseline to total sleep problem score as measured by the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ)
Timeframe: At 3 months