Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) can cause memory disorders, including long-term forgetfulness due to a failure to consolidate verbal but also spatial information. The forgetting phenomenon presented by these epileptic patients is called accelerated forgetting in the literature and remains difficult to objectify during cognitive assessments. It is indeed particularly complicated to evaluate long-term spatial memory and to account for the topographical complaint, although recurrent, of patients with this TLE.
A navigation task being proposed as part of the neuropsychological assessment of patients with a spatial memory complaint, it is interesting to study the performance pattern of patients with TLE by comparing them to a group of control subjects matched in age and gender in order to verify whether there is significant long-term forgetting and whether there is a significant difference between Right TLE and Left TLE. Indeed, several studies have demonstrated this accelerated long-term forgetting in epileptic patients (Cassel et al., 2016; Lemesle et al., 2017; Landry et al., 2022; Blake et al., 2020) but few with a retention delay of several weeks (Tramoni et al., 2009). This study allows us to statistically analyze the effects of these two groups: epileptic patients and healthy volunteers, but also to combine the effect of the laterality of epilepsy specifically on spatial memory performance.
Who can participate
Age range
18 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.
Inclusion Criteria:
\- healthy volunteers meeting each of the following criteria:
* Aged over 18 years
* Right-handed\*
* Free of known neurological pathology
* Signed consent
* Matched in age (+ or - 5 years) and gender with epileptic patients presenting the characteristics below:
* Right-handed\*
* adult
* presenting temporal lobe epilepsy, whose lateralization of the epileptogenic focus (right or left) has been objectified by an examination (EEG and/or MRI),
* having carried out a neuropsychological assessment including the navigation task,
* having been informed of the study, and consenting to the processing of their data
Exclusion Criteria:
* Person referred to in Article L1121-5 of the Public Health Code: Pregnant, parturient, or breastfeeding women
* Person referred to in Article L1121-6 of the Public Health Code: persons deprived of their judicial or administrative freedom
* Person referred to in Article L1121-8 of the Public Health Code: persons subject to a legal protection measure or unable to express their consent
* Person referred to in Article L1121-8-1 of the Public Health Code: persons not affiliated to a social security scheme
* Left-handed participants
* Participants familiar with the premises of the Centre Hospitalier Métropole Savoie
* Not speaking French
Exclusion criteria
Patients who have undergone epilepsy neurosurgery between the initial visit and the secondary visit of the neuropsychological assessment will not be paired with a healt…
Questions worth asking your doctor
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.
1Based on my diagnosis and history, is this trial worth exploring for me — or is there a standard treatment we should try first?
2What does this trial's phase tell us about how much is already known about its safety and benefit?
3What would taking part actually involve for me — visits, tests, time, and travel?
4What are the known and possible risks or side effects I should weigh, and how would they be monitored?
5If this trial isn't the right fit, what other options or trials would you suggest I look into?
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
Questions for the trial coordinator
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.
1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
What they're measuring
1
Changes of the number of correct responses from 1h to 6 weeks, compared between healthy volunteers and epileptic patients