Nerve function and hyperthermia v1.4
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A repeated measures study investigating resting membrane potential using measures of nerve excitability in normal awake adult humans and patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with or without a history of febrile convulsions for the understanding of peripheral nerve function during hyperthermia.
IRAS ID
159426
Contact name
Christopher E G Moore
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust R&D department
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
Some children and adults have epileptic fits that are triggered by increased temperature. How this occurs is not well understood. Recent experiments in mice suggest that a higher temperature increases electrical activity in parts of the brain and this triggers a fit. This electricity is developed by an abnormal ‘HCN’ ion channel.
We wish to see if this is the same in humans.
We are able to study this channel in the arm of awake humans as the HCN channel is in nerves at the wrist as well as brain cells.
We wish to see how the 'HCN’ ion channel responds to a change in temperature and how this is different in patients with temperature related epilepsy.
Subjects and patients will be asked to undergo investigation of the nerve at the wrist in an experiment lasting 120 minutes. Small electrical pulses are given over the nerve under investigation and the response from the related muscle or further along the nerve itself is measured at resting temperature, while warmed and on return to resting after warming the arm.REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0041
Date of REC Opinion
9 Feb 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion