Perinatal and brain health

  1. Babywaves- NIHR-funded project to evaluate a wireless compact EEG device for remote monitoring of brain activity in infants at risk of developing brain injury
  2. HIEConnect -MRC funded project to characterise the brain connectivity in early infancy after hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy and examine its relationship with cognitive development.
  3. EPICafterHIE: British Paediatric Surveillance Unit-sponsored study to establish the epidemiology of epilepsy after neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy treated with cooling therapy. This is a national study capturing the characteristics of epilepsy in children treated for neonatal HIE aged below 18 years.
  4. FUTURE study: Retrospective cohort study to identify predictors of outcomes in infants with perinatal asphyxia with or without hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy.
  5. COMET trial: Co-investigator in the national trial investigating therapeutic hypothermia versus standard care for infants with mild hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. Funded by NIHR.
  6. BRAHMS study: Co-lead for developing music therapy to enhance sleep for moderate to late preterm infants. Funded by NIHR.Completed Projects

1. CoolCuddle: Nurse-led intervention enabling parents to cuddle their babies while undergoing cooling therapy and intensive care.

Findings: CoolCuddle did not impact the cooling therapy or intensive care and improved mother-infant bonding. Resources developed to instruct nurses to help implement CoolCuddle in the neonatal intensive care units (https://youtu.be/dC7SriN99SA )and inform parents about CoolCuddle to help them experience CoolCuddle (https://youtu.be/ZVN83K0xp7g).

2. SINEPOST study: National population-based study that showed children exposed to SARS-CoV-2 (wild type and Alpha) antenatally had delayed socioemotional development, increased respiratory symptoms and healthcare usage. 

10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102628; 10.1136/bmjpo-2022-001571; 10.1038/s41390-023-02954-y

3. CoolMRI study: A series of imaging and developmental studies that defined the brain structural and microstructural development and its association with childhood cognitive, communication and motor development after neonatal HIE.