Hypothalamus changes and heart rhythm control problems in drug-resistant epilepsy
Uses MRI and heart tracings to look for hypothalamus changes in adults with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Study of the Link Between Structural Alterations in the Hypothalamus and Cardiac Dysautonomia in Drug-resistant Epilepsy
Key facts
- Where
- Amiens, FranceSee the site
Where in France
- Amiens University HospitalAmiens, FranceTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens
- Trial code
- NCT07888543
- Record updated
- 22 October 2026
- Original description
Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy may have cardiac dysautonomia, with reduced heart rate variability and increased sympathetic tone. This condition is part of the concept of "epileptic heart" and could be a risk factor for sudden death, one of the main causes of excess mortality in patients with severe epilepsy in adulthood. The mechanism of this cardiac impairment is poorly understood. The hypothalamus, due to its role as the subcortical conductor of the autonomic nervous system and its known links with the limbic system, particularly the amygdala and hippocampus, is a candidate for a key intermediary role in the impact of seizures on cardiorespiratory function. The investigators wish to investigate the hypothesis that cardiac dysautonomia in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy is correlated with structural changes in the hypothalamus. The investigators wish to study in 7Tesla MRI the volume of the different hypothalamic nuclei, the amygdalo- hypothalamic and hypothalamo-bulbar connectivity, as well as the metabolic content in spectroscopy in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, and correlate these data with the sympathetic and parasympathetic tones of these patients.Read full original descriptionShow less
Study of the Link Between Structural Alterations in the Hypothalamus and Cardiac Dysautonomia in Drug-resistant Epilepsy
Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy may have cardiac dysautonomia, with reduced heart rate variability and increased sympathetic tone. This condition is part of the concept of "epileptic heart" and could be a risk factor for sudden death, one of the main causes of excess mortality in patients with severe epilepsy in adulthood. The mechanism of this cardiac impairment is poorly understood. The hypothalamus, due to its role as the subcortical conductor of the autonomic nervous system and its known links with the limbic system, particularly the amygdala and hippocampus, is a candidate for a key intermediary role in the impact of seizures on cardiorespiratory function. The investigators wish to investigate the hypothesis that cardiac dysautonomia in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy is correlated with structural changes in the hypothalamus. The investigators wish to study in 7Tesla MRI the volume of the different hypothalamic nuclei, the amygdalo- hypothalamic and hypothalamo-bulbar connectivity, as well as the metabolic content in spectroscopy in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, and correlate these data with the sympathetic and parasympathetic tones of these patients.
Inclusion: Patients > 18 years old; With drug-resistant epilepsy; Followed up at Amiens Picardie University Hospital; With at least one seizure recorded by video-EEG (or SEEG) in the 4 years prior to inclusion; Having had a good-quality electroencephalogram with ECG within the last 6 months prior to inclusion; Having given their informed consent, both verbally and in writing; Covered by Social Security.
Exclusion: Claustrophobia, or any other condition that prevents the patient from remaining in the MRI machine for 40 minutes; History of cardiovascular disorders: arrhythmia, conduction disorders, myocardial infarction, high blood pressure; History of endocrine disorders, precocious puberty, intellectual disability, eating disorders (obesity BMI>35, anorexia); Patients with dissociative functional seizures; Patients with epilepsy related to hypothalamic hamartoma or a genetic cause identified in genes coding for ion channels, particularly SCN1A, SCN1B, and CACNa1a; Pregnant women; Contraindications to MRI.