Research and publications from the Neurophysiology department

The Neurophysiology department at Great Ormond Street Hospital undertakes several research projects.

Study of wireless protocols for EEG-video telemetry.

How do we experience differences in touch? The ability to do this implies a memory circuit closely associated with the sensory cortex, but little is known of this, or of how the brain integrates such memory circuits from different sensory modalities, sound, vision, touch and even less about how it assigns priorities to signals from different modalities, indicating that something new has occurred.

Understanding the difference between the presence of function in pathways reaching the central nervous system and in processing painful signals within the cerebral cortex is fundamental, if we are to understand when pain experiences become important in the premature baby's brain.

Re-appraising the significance of particular features of the EEG in childhood in the light of recent advances in other areas of neuroscience is an obvious and important priority. We can now begin to supplement the original purely descriptive observations with a better understanding of how the child's brain develops.

Current projects include:

'Posterior slow waves of youth' developmental aspects

Study of auditory processing in affected infants, led by Dr Tangunu Fosi-Mbantenkhu

Population-based study of early childhood (onset within the first two years), led by Dr Kristin Eltze.

Read some of the Neurophysiology department's previous publications.

• Wilkinson D, Ferguson HJ, Worley A (2012). Galvanic vestibular stimulation modulates the electrophysiological response during face processing. Vis Neurosci. Sep;29(4-5):255-62. 
• Worley A, Fabrizi L, Boyd S, Slater R (2012). Multi-modal pain measurements in infants. J Neurosci Methods. Apr 15;205(2):252-7. 
• Fabrizi L, Worley A, Patten D, Holdridge S, Cornelissen L, Meek J, Boyd S, Slater R (2011). Electrophysiological measurements and analysis of nociception in human infants. J Vis Exp. Dec 20;(58). 
• Fabrizi L, Slater R, Worley A, Meek J, Boyd S, Olhede S, Fitzgerald M (2011). A shift in sensory processing that enables the developing human brain to discriminate touch from pain. Curr Biol. Sep 27;21(18):1552-8. 
• Slater R, Cornelissen L, Fabrizi L, Patten D, Yoxen J, Worley A, Boyd S, Meek J, Fitzgerald M (2010). Oral sucrose as an analgesic drug for procedural pain in newborn infants: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. Oct 9;376(9748):1225-32. 
• Slater R, Fabrizi L, Worley A, Meek J, Boyd S, Fitzgerald M (2010). Premature infants display increased noxious-evoked neuronal activity in the brain compared to healthy age-matched term-born infants. Neuroimage. Aug 15;52(2):583-9. 
• Slater R, Worley A, Fabrizi L, Roberts S, Meek J, Boyd S, Fitzgerald M (2010). Evoked potentials generated by noxious stimulation in the human infant brain. Eur J Pain. Mar;14(3):321-6. 
• Cooper RJ, Everdell NL, Enfield LC, Gibson AP, Worley A, Hebden JC (2009). Design and evaluation of a probe for simultaneous EEG and near-infrared imaging of cortical activation. Phys Med Biol. Apr 7;54(7):2093-102. 
• Kinali M, Beeson D, Pitt MC, Jungbluth H, Simonds AK, Aloysius A, Cockerill H, Davis T, Palace J, Manzur AY, Jimenez-Mallebrera C, Sewry C, Muntoni F, Robb SA (2008) Congenital myasthenic syndromes in childhood: diagnostic and management challenges.. J Neuroimmunol 201-202: 6-12
• Desai N, Pressler RM, Jolleff N, Clark M, Neville B, Eltze C, Harkness W, Cross JH (2008) Early-onset symptomatic focal epilepsy: a dilemma in the timing of surgery.. Epileptic Disord 10 (4): 356-61
• Patil SG, Cross JH, Kling Chong W, Boyd SG, Harkness WJ, Neville BG, Scott RC (2008) Is streamlined evaluation of children for epilepsy surgery possible?. Epilepsia 49 (8): 1340-7
• Pelc K, Cheron G, Boyd SG, Dan B (2008) Are there distinctive sleep problems in Angelman syndrome?. Sleep Med 9 (4): 434-41
• Pelc K, Boyd SG, Cheron G, Dan B (2008) Epilepsy in Angelman syndrome.. Seizure 17 (3): 211-7
• Mung'ala-Odera V, White S, Meehan R, Otieno GO, Njuguna P, Mturi N, Edwards T, Neville BG, Newton CR (2008) Prevalence, incidence and risk factors of epilepsy in older children in rural Kenya.. Seizure 17 (5): 396-404
• Pitt M (2008) Neurophysiological strategies for the diagnosis of disorders of the neuromuscular junction in children.. Dev Med Child Neurol 50 (5): 328-33 
  

Kinali M, Beeson D, Pitt MC, Jungbluth H, Simonds AK, Aloysius A, Cockerill H, Davis T, Palace J, Manzur AY, Jimenez-Mallebrera C, Sewry C, Muntoni F, Robb SA (2008) Congenital myasthenic syndromes in childhood: diagnostic and management challenges. J Neuroimmunol 201-202 (): 6-12

Desai N, Pressler RM, Jolleff N, Clark M, Neville B, Eltze C, Harkness W, Cross JH (2008) Early-onset symptomatic focal epilepsy: a dilemma in the timing of surgery. Epileptic Disord 10 (4): 356-61

Patil SG, Cross JH, Kling Chong W, Boyd SG, Harkness WJ, Neville BG, Scott RC (2008) Is streamlined evaluation of children for epilepsy surgery possible?. Epilepsia 49 (8): 1340-7

Pelc K, Cheron G, Boyd SG, Dan B (2008) Are there distinctive sleep problems in Angelman syndrome?. Sleep Med 9 (4): 434-41

Pelc K, Boyd SG, Cheron G, Dan B (2008) Epilepsy in Angelman syndrome. Seizure 17 (3): 211-7

Mung'ala-Odera V, White S, Meehan R, Otieno GO, Njuguna P, Mturi N, Edwards T, Neville BG, Newton CR (2008) Prevalence, incidence and risk factors of epilepsy in older children in rural Kenya. Seizure 17 (5): 396-404

Pitt M (2008) Neurophysiological strategies for the diagnosis of disorders of the neuromuscular junction in children. Dev Med Child Neurol 50 (5): 328-33