Research Participation

Ongoing Studies
& Clinical Trials

Our research moves from questions to answers only with the help of patients and volunteers willing to participate. Below are our currently active and developing studies. If you or someone you care for might be eligible, we want to hear from you.

Not sure if you qualify? Ask us.
Eligibility criteria can be complex. If you have questions about whether you or a patient may qualify for any of our studies, the simplest step is to email us or ask your neurologist to contact us directly. We will review your situation confidentially and get back to you promptly.
Email the Lab
Active Studies

Current Research Protocols

We have four active or developing research protocols at WVU. Two are currently enrolling participants.

01
Study CHAN-001 · NIMH K23
Depression Biomarkers in Epilepsy: Intracranial EEG Study
Understanding the brain circuit patterns that underlie depression in people with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Enrolling
What is this study about?
Depression affects nearly half of all people with drug-resistant epilepsy. It has a larger impact on quality of life than seizure frequency in many patients, yet it remains poorly understood and frequently undertreated. This study aims to identify specific brain circuit patterns in the frontal and limbic regions that are associated with depression in epilepsy — patterns that could eventually be used to guide treatment.
We record electrical signals directly from brain regions already implanted with electrodes as part of your standard epilepsy evaluation. We then combine those signals with validated questionnaire data about mood to look for patterns that distinguish patients with depression from those without.
Who can participate?
  • Age 18 or older
  • Diagnosed with focal epilepsy that has not responded to at least 2 antiseizure medications
  • Already scheduled for or undergoing SEEG (stereo-EEG) evaluation at WVU Medicine as part of standard clinical care
  • Able to give written informed consent
  • English language proficiency sufficient to complete questionnaires
  • History of prior brain surgery (other than a previous SEEG evaluation)
  • Active psychosis or severe cognitive impairment that would prevent questionnaire completion
What does participation involve?
Participation happens entirely during your hospitalization for the SEEG evaluation — no extra clinic visits are required. We ask permission to record additional channels from electrodes that are already implanted as part of your standard clinical care. You will also complete a set of short questionnaires about mood and quality of life that take approximately 30 minutes total. Your clinical care team makes all decisions about implant location and monitoring independently of the research team.
Is there any risk?
The research electrodes used in this study are placed by the neurosurgery team within the same implantation procedure as your clinical electrodes. The small number of additional research contacts adds minimal procedural time and negligible additional risk beyond the standard clinical SEEG procedure. Participation is entirely voluntary and will not affect the quality or nature of your clinical epilepsy care.
Funded by
NIMH K23 (KMH147414A)
Time commitment
During hospitalization only
Compensation
Available — ask at enrollment
IRB
WVU IRB approved
Express Interest
02
Study CHAN-002 · NSF IUCRC BRAIN
Augmented Reality Brain-Computer Interface for Aphasia
Testing a new approach to speech rehabilitation using an AR headset and non-invasive brain signals.
Early Enrollment
What is this study about?
Aphasia is a language disorder that results from brain injury, most commonly stroke, traumatic brain injury, or brain tumor surgery. People with aphasia often struggle to speak, read, write, or understand language, even when their thinking is intact. This study is testing whether an augmented reality brain-computer interface — a headset that overlays digital information onto your environment and reads brain signals — can help people with aphasia communicate and participate in speech therapy more effectively.
We use the Cognixion Axon-R AR headset combined with non-invasive EEG electrodes that sit on the scalp. No surgery or implanted devices are required.
Who can participate?
  • Age 18 or older
  • Diagnosis of aphasia following stroke, traumatic brain injury, or brain tumor surgery
  • At least 3 months post-injury (neurological condition stable)
  • Able to tolerate wearing a lightweight AR headset for up to 1 hour
  • Able to travel to WVU Medicine in Morgantown for study visits
  • A care partner or family member is encouraged but not required to attend
  • Active seizure disorder not under evaluation (must be cleared by neurology)
  • History of photosensitive epilepsy or seizures triggered by visual stimuli
  • Significant visual impairment preventing AR device use
What does participation involve?
Participation involves 2 to 4 study visits at WVU Medicine, each lasting approximately 2 hours. During each visit, you will wear the AR headset and EEG cap while completing speech and language tasks on a screen visible through the headset. Our speech-language pathology collaborators will guide each session. We will record brain signals during tasks and measure your performance. There are no medications, injections, or invasive procedures.
Is there any risk?
This study uses only non-invasive equipment. The AR headset and scalp EEG electrodes pose no known health risks. Some participants may experience mild fatigue or eye strain from extended AR headset use; sessions are paced to minimize this. Participation will not affect your ongoing speech therapy or medical care.
Funded by
NSF IUCRC BRAIN Center
Visits
2–4 visits (~2 hrs each)
Compensation
Available — ask at enrollment
IRB
WVU IRB approved
Express Interest
03
Study CHAN-003 · Protocol Development
Hearing Aid Sensor Data as Digital Biomarkers for Neurological Disease
Exploring whether passive data from commercial hearing aids can detect early signs of neurological decline.
Developing
What is this study about?
Modern hearing aids do far more than amplify sound. They continuously track acoustic environments, step counts, movement patterns, and fall events. This study asks whether that passive behavioral data, captured invisibly during everyday life, can detect early signs of neurological decline — including Alzheimer's disease and other dementias — before traditional clinical tests do.
This is an observational study. We review existing hearing aid data with your permission, compare it to standard clinical assessments, and look for patterns that differ between people with and without a neurological diagnosis. Developed in partnership with Starkey Hearing Technologies.
Who may be eligible? (Pre-registration)
  • Age 50 or older
  • Current user of Starkey hearing aids with data logging enabled
  • With or without a neurological diagnosis (both groups needed)
  • Willing to share anonymized hearing aid sensor data with the research team
  • Able to complete standard cognitive screening tools (approximately 30 minutes)
This study is not yet open for enrollment. If you are interested in participating when it opens, contact us to be placed on a pre-registration list.
Industry partner
Starkey Hearing Technologies
Design
Retrospective observational
IRB Status
Protocol development
Pre-register Interest
04
Study CHAN-004 · Coming Soon
Focused Ultrasound Effects on Human Brain Circuits in Epilepsy
Using low-intensity sound waves to modulate specific brain circuits — measured in real time using intracranial electrodes.
Coming Soon
What will this study be about?
Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) is an experimental technology that uses carefully directed sound waves — inaudible to the human ear — to temporarily and non-destructively influence brain activity. Unlike deep brain stimulation or radiosurgery, LIFU does not require surgery and leaves no permanent hardware behind.
This planned study will apply LIFU to specific brain targets in patients who are already hospitalized for SEEG evaluation, then measure how their brain's electrical activity changes in real time using the intracranial electrodes already in place. We are working toward an FDA investigational device exemption (IDE) and Focused Ultrasound Foundation grant funding to launch this study.
Who may be eligible in the future?
  • Age 18 or older
  • Undergoing SEEG evaluation for drug-resistant focal epilepsy at WVU Medicine
  • SEEG implant targeting frontal or anterior temporal lobe structures (per clinical plan)
  • No contraindications to ultrasound exposure (e.g., implanted metal near ultrasound target)
This study is not yet open. Regulatory approval (IDE) and funding are pending. Contact us if you would like to be notified when enrollment opens.
Technology
NaviFUS LIFU System
Funding LOI
Focused Ultrasound Foundation
Regulatory pathway
FDA IDE (in progress)
Notify Me When Open
For Referring Providers and Neurologists
If you have a patient who may be eligible for one of our studies, please contact us directly at andy.chan@hsc.wvu.edu with a brief summary of the patient's diagnosis and current situation. We will review eligibility and coordinate directly with you. We are particularly interested in patients already referred to the WVU epilepsy monitoring unit who may be eligible for Study 001 (SEEG Depression Biomarker Study), and outpatients with post-stroke aphasia who may be eligible for Study 002 (AR-BCI). We can provide referral letters and IRB participant information sheets on request.
Common Questions

What Research Participation Involves

Will participating affect my clinical care?
No. Your epilepsy care is managed independently of the research team. Clinical decisions — including which electrodes to place, how long to monitor, and when to pursue surgery — are made entirely by your clinical team without any research influence.
Can I withdraw at any time?
Yes. Participation is completely voluntary. You can withdraw from any study at any time without explanation and without any effect on your medical care, insurance, or relationship with WVU Medicine.
Will I receive my research results?
For most studies, individual-level research data is not returned as it is exploratory and not validated for clinical use. If we discover findings with direct clinical relevance for a participant, we will discuss that with the clinical team. Group-level findings are published and shared publicly.
Is my data kept private?
All study data is de-identified before analysis and stored on secure, encrypted WVU servers. Only members of the research team with IRB approval can access identifiable information. We comply with HIPAA and federal research privacy regulations.