Neonatal Brain Research Group
University College CorkCork University Maternity Hospital
Wilton, co. Cork,
Ireland
| T | +353 (0)21 420 5972 |
|---|---|
| F | +353 (0)21 490 1603 |
| E | nbrg@ucc.ie |
Director:
Prof. Geraldine Boylan
The Neonatal Brain Research Group is a multidisciplinary team, established in 2003 to investigate brain injury in newborn babies. The group specialise in the analysis of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and other physiological signals. The overall aim of the group is to improve the long term health outcomes of newborn babies through early and accurate detection of neurological problems. The team consists of clinicians, scientists and engineers who are currently working on new classifications of the neonatal EEG, investigating the application of the EEG to diagnosis and prognosis, and developing methods to automatically analyse the EEG. We are also developing applications of teleneurophysiology and assessing the effect of medication on sick newborns.
Latest News
- The NBRG have a new SFI funded project underway and 4 new PhD students have joined the group. Welcome to Simon, Robert, Rehan and Sunil. Read more
- The NBRG's latest research project starts in March 2011. The project entitled Pattern Recognition Sytems for Continuous Neurological Monitoring in Neonates (NEOPRISM) is funded by Science Foundation Ireland. Read More.
- The NBRG collaborates on EUFP7 project on the clinical managment of hypotension in the preterm infant. Read more.
- More news.
Automated Seizure Detection in the Newborn using EEG
The aim of this research strand is to develop an automated seizure detection system for use in the neonatal intensive care unit by non-expert medical staff. There is little work worldwide focusing on the detection of seizures in the newborn - yet there is clear clinical evidence that correct early detection could significantly help in the treatment of newborns with intra cerebral disease. More ...
Classification of Neonatal EEG
The aim of this research is to develop accurate methods to describe or classify newborn EEG. Accurate classification of newborn EEG has diagnostic and prognostic implications. The way in which EEG is used in the neonatal intensive care unit has changed over the last number of years. There is now a greater emphasis on the EEG recorded within 24 hours of birth. This research strand aims to describe the EEG of the newborn both qualitatively and quantitatively. More ...
Neonatal Diagnosis
The EEG is an excellent tool for the diagnosis of neurological dysfunction in the newborn. It is particularly useful for the diagnosis of seizures and hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). Early diagnosis is critical for early interventional therapies such as antiepileptic drugs for seizures and cooling therapy for HIE. More ...
Neonatal Prognosis
Accurate early prognosis can assist in the development of long term management strategies for infants and provide crucial information to parents. The aim of this research strand is to determine the best features in the EEG that can be used for the prediction of long term neurological outcome of the newborn. More ...
Neonatal Treatment
EEG monitoring is the only method available to accurately monitor the effectiveness of antiepileptic drugs in newborns. We are using continuous EEG to monitor treatment in both full term and preterm babies with seizures. We are interested in the effectiveness of different treatments and will soon commence a randomized trial of novel antiepileptic drugs. More …
Tele-neurophysiology
This research strand aims to develop a system that allows medical specialists to remotely analyse physiological signals from the neonatal intensive care unit. Data, both real-time and retrospective can be uploaded to a central server. Specialists can then securely access these data from any location. By making these data available in real-time and on-demand, current delays in diagnosis will be mitigated and patient outcomes will be improved. More ...
