- Overview
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Dr. Virji-Babul's research program in cognitive neuroscience has two streams: (a) basic science studies focused on understanding brain structure and function underlying action perception/action execution networks, motor learning and the development of novel methods to analyze resting state effective connectivity and, (b) applied research studies of brain injury focused on identifying early indicators of concussion/mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in adolescents and on developing effective methods to improve recovery from TBI in adults.
Building on her ongoing efforts to understand brain organization, she and her team have been investigating the use of a novel connectivity measure based on information flow rates to map causal, directionally dependent interactions between different brain regions, i.e. effective connectivity. This is a powerful, more principled approach compared with other effective connectivity measures for mapping the direction of information flow in the brain.
Her work with collaborators who have expertise in big data, machine learning and statistical analysis has led to new line of study that applies and tests a deep learning neural network to automatically classify concussed athletes from healthy athletes using raw, resting state EEG data.
- Publications
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Altered resting state EEG microstate dynamics in acute-phase pediatric mild traumatic brain injury.
Sahar Sattari and Samir Damji and Julianne McLeod and Maryam M. Mirian and Lyndia Wu and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1101/2024.10.26.24316185
10/2024Resting-state causal brain connectivity in youth female athletes suggest sex-related differences following subacute concussion
Julianne McLeod and Sahar Sattari and Dionissios T. Hristopulos and Karun Thanjavur and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.04.24311356
08/2024Changes in EEG microstate dynamics and cognition post-chemotherapy in people with breast cancer: A pilot study
Samir Damji and Sahar Sattari and Kendra Zadravec and Kristin Campbell and Jennifer Brunet and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.03.24309730
07/2024Correlating Motion Artifacts in Wet and Dry Electrodes With Head Kinematics During Physical Activities in Ambulatory EEG Monitoring
IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement
Cidnee Luu and Yuan Gao and Han Cat Nguyen and Saeid Soltanian and Naznin Virji-Babul and Peyman Servati and H. F. Machiel Van Der Loos and Lyndia C. Wu
DOI: 10.1109/TIM.2024.3398124
2024Individualized monitoring of longitudinal heading exposure in soccer
Scientific Reports
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52163-8
2024Distinct Effects of Brain Activation Using tDCS and Observational Practice: Implications for Motor Rehabilitation
Brain Sciences
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020175
2024Blink-related EEG oscillations are neurophysiological indicators of subconcussive head impacts in female soccer players: a preliminary study
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1208498
2023Distinct effects of priming the brain using tDCS and observational practice: new evidence from brain effective connectivity
bioRxiv
DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.12.570884
2023Head Impact Exposure and Biomechanics in University Varsity Women’s Soccer
Annals of Biomedical Engineering
Kenny, R. and Elez, M. and Clansey, A. and Virji-Babul, N. and Wu, L.C.
DOI: 10.1007/s10439-022-02914-3
2022A matter of perspective: Distinct brain mechanisms for evaluating positive and negative social feedback about oneself and another person
Social Neuroscience
Weik, E. and Virji-Babul, N. and Ribary, U. and Tipper, C.
DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2022.2058081
2022Deep Learning Recurrent Neural Network for Concussion Classification in Adolescents Using Raw Electroencephalography Signals: Toward a Minimal Number of Sensors
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Thanjavur, K. and Hristopulos, D.T. and Babul, A. and Yi, K.M. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.734501
2021Longitudinal changes in brain parenchyma due to mild traumatic brain injury during the first year after injury
Brain and Behavior
Muller, A.M. and Panenka, W.J. and Lange, R.T. and Iverson, G.L. and Brubacher, J.R. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2410
2021Myelin water fraction decrease in individuals with chronic mild traumatic brain injury and persistent symptoms
Heliyon
Russell-Schulz, B. and Vavasour, I.M. and Zhang, J. and MacKay, A.L. and Purcell, V. and Muller, A.M. and Brucar, L.R. and Torres, I.J. and Panenka, W.J. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06709
2021Prenatal exposure to maternal depression is related to the functional connectivity organization underlying emotion perception in 8-10-month-old infants – Preliminary findings
Infant Behavior and Development
Rotem-Kohavi, N. and Virji-Babul, N. and Oberlander, T.F.
DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101545
2021Brain recovery from sports related concussion: Is there a new normal?
Japanese Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine
Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.7600/jspfsm.69.10
2020Study protocol of the Aerobic exercise and CogniTIVe functioning in women with breAsT cancEr (ACTIVATE) trial: A two-arm, two-centre randomized controlled trial
BMC Cancer
Brunet, J. and Barrett-Bernstein, M. and Zadravec, K. and Taljaard, M. and Levasseur, N. and Srikanthan, A. and Bland, K.A. and Collins, B. and Kam, J.W.Y. and Handy, T.C. and Hayden, S. and Simmons, C. and Smith, A.M. and Virji-Babul, N. and Campbell, K.L.
DOI: 10.1186/s12885-020-07196-3
2020Neuroenhancement using transcranial electrical brain stimulation in adolescence: Ethical and social concerns
Ethical Dimensions of Commercial and DIY Neurotechnologies
Maya Willms and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1016/bs.dnb.2020.03.006
2020Preseason Vestibular Ocular Motor Screening in Children and Adolescents
Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine
Grant L. Iverson and Nathan E. Cook and David R. Howell and Laurel J. Collings and Cody Kusch and Jonathan Sun and Naznin Virji-Babul and William J. Panenka
DOI: 10.1097/jsm.0000000000000767
06/2019One session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) does not modulate mu suppression when learning a novel motor task in healthy adults
Brain Stimulation
E. Gregory and N. Hodges and F. Vila-Rodriguez and A. Muller and N. Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2018.12.300
03/2019Cortical activity and network organization underlying physical and cognitive exertion in active young adult athletes: Implications for concussion
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
Porter, S. and Silverberg, N.D. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2018.09.233
2019Hub distribution of the brain functional networks of newborns prenatally exposed to maternal depression and SSRI antidepressants
Depression and Anxiety
Rotem-Kohavi, N. and Williams, L.J. and Muller, A.M. and Abdi, H. and Virji-Babul, N. and Bjornson, B.H. and Brain, U. and Werker, J.F. and Grunau, R.E. and Miller, S.P. and Oberlander, T.F.
DOI: 10.1002/da.22906
2019Alterations in Resting-State Networks Following In Utero Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Exposure in the Neonatal Brain
Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging
Rotem-Kohavi, N. and Williams, L.J. and Virji-Babul, N. and Bjornson, B.H. and Brain, U. and Werker, J.F. and Grunau, R.E. and Miller, S.P. and Oberlander, T.F.
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.08.004
2019Disrupted Information Flow in Resting-State in Adolescents With Sports Related Concussion
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Hristopulos, D.T. and Babul, A. and Babul, S. and Brucar, L.R. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00419
2019Stuck in a State of Inattention? Functional Hyperconnectivity as an Indicator of Disturbed Intrinsic Brain Dynamics in Adolescents With Concussion: A Pilot Study
ASN Neuro
Muller, A.M. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1177/1759091417753802
2018The role of physical activity in recovery from concussion in youth: A neuroscience perspective
Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy
Schmidt, J. and Rubino, C. and Boyd, L.A. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1097/NPT.0000000000000226
2018Mu Suppression Is Sensitive to Observational Practice but Results in Different Patterns of Activation in Comparison with Physical Practice
Neural Plasticity
Alhajri, N. and Hodges, N.J. and Zwicker, J.G. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1155/2018/8309483
2018Pediatric Motivation Scale
PsycTESTS Dataset
Sandy K. Tatla and Tal Jarus and Naznin Virji-Babul and Liisa Holsti
DOI: 10.1037/t54824-000
01/2017Infants and adults have similar regional functional brain organization for the perception of emotions
Neuroscience Letters
Rotem-Kohavi, N. and Oberlander, T.F. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.04.031
2017Changes in brain-behavior relationships following a 3-month pilot cognitive intervention program for adults with traumatic brain injury
Heliyon
Porter, S. and Torres, I.J. and Panenka, W. and Rajwani, Z. and Fawcett, D. and Hyder, A. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00373
2017Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is associated with baseline child sport concussion assessment tool third edition scores in child hockey players
Brain Injury
Collings, L.J. and Cook, N.E. and Porter, S. and Kusch, C. and Sun, J. and Virji-Babul, N. and Iverson, G.L. and Panenka, W.J.
DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2017.1377351
2017Associating physical activity levels with motor performance and physical function in childhood survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Physiotherapy Canada
Hung, S.H. and Rankin, A. and Virji-Babul, N. and Pritchard, S. and Fryer, C. and Campbell, K.L.
DOI: 10.3138/ptc.2015-67LHC
2017Development of the Sports Organization Concussion Risk Assessment Tool (SOCRAT)
Brain Injury
Yeung, A. and Munjal, V. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2016.1271456
2017Alterations in resting-state brain networks in concussed adolescent athletes
Journal of Neurotrauma
Borich, M. and Babul, A.-N. and Yuan, P.H. and Boyd, L. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1089/neu.2013.3269
2015Source-domain spectral EEG analysis of sports-related concussion via Measure Projection Analysis
Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS
Balkan, O. and Virji-Babul, N. and Miyakoshi, M. and Makeig, S. and Garudadri, H.
DOI: 10.1109/EMBC.2015.7319284
2015Perceptions of technology and its use for therapeutic application for individuals with hemiparesis: Findings from adult and pediatric focus groups
JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies
Lam, M.Y. and Tatla, S.K. and Lohse, K.R. and Shirzad, N. and Hoens, A.M. and Miller, K.J. and Holsti, L. and Virji-Babul, N. and Van der Loos, H.F.M.
DOI: 10.2196/rehab.3484
2015The Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (Child SCAT3): Normative values and correspondence between child and parent symptom scores in male child athletes
BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine
Porter, S. and Smith-Forrester, J. and Alhajri, N. and Kusch, C. and Sun, J. and Barrable, B. and Panenka, W.J. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2015-000029
2015Therapists' perceptions of social media and video game technologies in upper limb rehabilitation
JMIR Serious Games
Tatla, S.K. and Shirzad, N. and Lohse, K.R. and Virji-Babul, N. and Hoens, A.M. and Holsti, L. and Li, L.C. and Miller, K.J. and Lam, M.Y. and Van der Loos, H.M.
DOI: 10.2196/games.3401
2015Comparison of foam-based and spring-loaded dry EEG electrodes with wet electrodes in resting and moving conditions
Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS
Yeung, A. and Garudadri, H. and Van Toen, C. and Mercier, P. and Balkan, O. and Makeig, S. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1109/EMBC.2015.7320036
2015The development of the pediatric motivation scale for rehabilitation
Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy
Tatla, S.K. and Jarus, T. and Virji-Babul, N. and Holsti, L.
DOI: 10.1177/0008417414556884
2015A variational Bayes spatiotemporal model for electromagnetic brain mapping
Biometrics
Nathoo, F.S. and Babul, A. and Moiseev, A. and Virji-Babul, N. and Beg, M.F.
DOI: 10.1111/biom.12126
2014Changes in functional brain networks following sports-related concussion in adolescents
Journal of Neurotrauma
Virji-Babul, N. and Hilderman, C.G.E. and Makan, N. and Liu, A. and Smith-Forrester, J. and Franks, C. and Wang, Z.J.
DOI: 10.1089/neu.2014.3450
2014The effects of motivating interventions on rehabilitation outcomes in children and youth with acquired brain injuries: A systematic review
Brain Injury
Tatla, S.K. and Sauve, K. and Jarus, T. and Virji-Babul, N. and Holsti, L.
DOI: 10.3109/02699052.2014.890747
2014Network analysis of perception-action coupling in infants
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Rotem-Kohavi, N. and Hilderman, C.G.E. and Liu, A. and Makan, N. and Wang, J.Z. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00209
2014Diffusion tensor imaging of sports-related concussion in adolescents
Pediatric Neurology
Virji-Babul, N. and Borich, M.R. and Makan, N. and Moore, T. and Frew, K. and Emery, C.A. and Boyd, L.A.
DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2012.09.005
2013Evidence for outcomes of motivational rehabilitation interventions for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: An american academy for cerebral palsy and developmental medicine systematic review
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
Tatla, S.K. and Sauve, K. and Virji-Babul, N. and Holsti, L. and Butler, C. and Van Der Loos, H.F.M.
DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.12147
2013Concussion: Current concepts in diagnosis and management
Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy
Borich, M.R. and Cheung, K.L. and Jones, P. and Khramova, V. and Gavrailoff, L. and Boyd, L.A. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1097/NPT.0b013e31829f7460
2013A Skew-t space-varying regression model for the spectral analysis of resting state brain activity
Statistical Methods in Medical Research
DOI: 10.1177/0962280212448974
2013Neural correlates of music recognition in Down syndrome
Brain and Cognition
Virji-Babul, N. and Moiseev, A. and Sun, W. and Feng, T. and Moiseeva, N. and Watt, K.J. and Huotilainen, M.
DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2012.11.007
2013Combining whole-brain voxel-wise analysis with in vivo tractography of diffusion behavior after sports-related concussion in adolescents: A preliminary report
Journal of Neurotrauma
Borich, M. and Makan, N. and Boyd, L. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1089/neu.2012.2818
2013Distinct DNA methylation patterns of cognitive impairment and trisomy 21 in down syndrome
BMC Medical Genomics
Jones, M.J. and Farré, P. and McEwen, L.M. and Macisaac, J.L. and Watt, K. and Neumann, S.M. and Emberly, E. and Cynader, M.S. and Virji-Babul, N. and Kobor, M.S.
DOI: 10.1186/1755-8794-6-58
2013Dynamics of oscillatory changes associated with the perception of human motion
NeuroReport
Virji-Babul, N. and Moiseev, A. and Sun, W. and Fesharaki, A. and Beg, F. and Ribary, U.
DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e328357288e
2012Recognition of facial expressions of emotion in adults with down syndrome
Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics
Virji-Babul, N. and Watt, K. and Nathoo, F. and Johnson, P.
DOI: 10.3109/01942638.2011.653626
2012Neural correlates of action understanding in infants: Influence of motor experience
Brain and Behavior
Virji-Babul, N. and Rose, A. and Moiseeva, N. and Makan, N.
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.50
2012Aspects of motor development in down syndrome
Neurocognitive Rehabilitation of Down Syndrome: The Early Years
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511919299.012
2011Altered brain dynamics during voluntary movement in individuals with Down syndrome
NeuroReport
Virji-Babul, N. and Moiseev, A. and Moiseeva, N. and Sun, W. and Ribary, U. and Lott, I.
DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e328346a1a0
2011Analysis of patterns of motor behavior in gamers with down syndrome
IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Workshops
Svendsen, J. and Albu, A.B. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1109/CVPRW.2011.5981673
2011Pediatric CNS pathophysiology
IFMBE Proceedings
Stephen, J.M. and Braeutigam, S. and Furlong, P.L. and Ribary, U. and Roberts, T.P.L. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-12197-5_55
2010Spatial-temporal dynamics of cortical activity underlying reaching and grasping
Human Brain Mapping
Virji-Babul, N. and Moiseev, A. and Cheung, T. and Weeks, D. and Cheyne, D. and Ribary, U.
DOI: 10.1002/hbm.20853
2010Neural mechanisms underlying action observation in adults with down syndrome
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Virji-Babul, N. and Moiseev, A. and Cheung, T. and Weeks, D.J. and Cheyne, D. and Ribary, U.
DOI: 10.1352/1944-7588-115.2.113
2010Brain network connectivity dynamics during voluntary finger movement in right handed adults with Down syndrome: Evidence for contralateral and ipsilateral dominance
IFMBE Proceedings
Moiseeva, N. and Moiseev, A. and Lott, I. and Haier, R. and Head, K. and Ribary, U. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-12197-5_93
2010Cortical dynamics underlying the visual perception of stationary and moving stimuli
IFMBE Proceedings
Sun, W. and Moiseev, A. and Beg, F. and Ribary, U. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-12197-5_65
2010The perception of friendship in adults with Down syndrome
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research
Watt, K.J. and Johnson, P. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01330.x
2010Adults with Down syndrome show right hemisphere dominance during right-handed voluntary movements.
NeuroImage
N Virji-Babul and A Moiseev and D Cheyne and U Ribary
DOI: 10.1016/s1053-8119(09)71857-9
07/2009Perception, Cognition, and Action: New Perspectives on Down Syndrome
International Review of Research in Mental Retardation
DOI: 10.1016/S0074-7750(08)38006-9
2009Evidence for slowing as a function of index of difficulty in young adults with down syndrome
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Lam, M.Y. and Hodges, N.J. and Virji-Babul, N. and Latash, M.L.
DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-114.6.411
2009External landmark and head-shape-based functional data normalization
Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics
Beg, M.F. and Wong, S. and Khan, A.R. and Cheung, T. and Virji-Babul, N. and Herdman, A.
DOI: 10.1016/j.compmedimag.2009.04.008
2009Investigation of a two-point maximum entropy regularization method for signal enhancement applied to magnetoencephalography data
Biomedical Signal Processing and Control
Matthews, Q. and Jirasek, A. and Virji-Babul, N. and Babul, A. and Cheung, T.
DOI: 10.1016/j.bspc.2007.09.004
2008Joint stiffness and gait pattern evaluation in children with Down syndrome
Gait and Posture
Galli, M. and Rigoldi, C. and Brunner, R. and Virji-Babul, N. and Giorgio, A.
DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2008.03.001
2008Changes in mu rhythm during action observation and execution in adults with Down syndrome: Implications for action representation
Neuroscience Letters
Virji-Babul, N. and Moiseev, A. and Cheung, T. and Weeks, D. and Cheyne, D. and Ribary, U.
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.03.022
2008Magnetoencephalographic analysis of cortical activity in adults with and without Down syndrome
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research
Virji-Babul, N. and Cheung, T. and Weeks, D. and Herdman, A.T. and Cheyne, D.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2007.00999.x
2007MEG signal enhancement using a two-point maximum entropy regularization method
International Congress Series
Matthews, Q. and Jirasek, A. and Virji-Babul, N. and Babul, A. and Cheung, T.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ics.2007.01.013
2007Analysis of irregularities in human actions with volumetric motion history images
2007 IEEE Workshop on Motion and Video Computing, WMVC 2007
Albu, A.B. and Beugeling, T. and Virji-Babul, N. and Beach, C.
DOI: 10.1109/WMVC.2007.8
2007Use of health care guidelines in patients with Down syndrome by family physicians across Canada
Paediatrics and Child Health
Virji-Babul, N. and Eichmann, A. and Kisly, D. and Down, J. and Haslam, R.H.A.
2007Neural activity involved in the perception of human and meaningful object motion
NeuroReport
Virji-Babul, N. and Cheung, T. and Weeks, D. and Kerns, K. and Shiffrar, M.
DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32821c5470
2007Children with Down Syndrome
Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance
Anne Jobling and Naznin Virji-Babul and Doug Nichols
DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2006.10597892
08/2006The Learn at Play Program (LAPP): Merging Family, Developmental Research, Early Intervention, and Policy Goals for Children with Down Syndrome
Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities
Grace Iarocci and Naznin Virji-Babul and Pratibha Reebye
DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-1130.2006.00048.x
03/2006Integrated therapy for stuttering and expressive syntax in Down syndrome: A case report
International Journal on Disability and Human Development
Fawcett, S. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1515/IJDHD.2006.5.4.391
2006A preliminary investigation into the efficacy of virtual reality as a tool for rehabilitation for children with Down syndrome
International Journal on Disability and Human Development
Hovorka, R.M. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1515/IJDHD.2006.5.4.351
2006Perceptual-motor deficits in children with Down syndrome: implications for intervention.
Down's syndrome, research and practice : the journal of the Sarah Duffen Centre / University of Portsmouth
Virji-Babul, N. and Kerns, K. and Zhou, E. and Kapur, A. and Shiffrar, M.
DOI: 10.3104/reports.308
2006A framework for sonification of vicon motion capture data
8th International Conference on Digital Audio Effects, DAFx 2005 - Proceedings
Kapur, A. and Tzanetakis, G. and Virji-Babul, N. and Wang, G. and Cook, P.R.
2005Influence of a Cognitive Task in Postural Stability on Children with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Preliminary Investigation
Physiotherapy Canada
Naznin Virji-Babul and Kimberly A. Kerns
DOI: 10.2310/6640.2005.50011
2005Gesture-based affective computing on motion capture data
Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
DOI: 10.1007/11573548_1
2005Stiffness and postural stability in adults with Down syndrome
Experimental Brain Research
Webber, A. and Virji-Babul, N. and Edwards, R. and Lesperance, M.
DOI: 10.1007/s00221-003-1743-7
2004Stepping over obstacles: Anticipatory modifications in children with and without Down syndrome
Experimental Brain Research
Virji-Babul, N. and Brown, M.
DOI: 10.1007/s00221-004-1971-5
2004Mental rotation abilities in individuals with Down syndrome--a pilot study.
Down's syndrome, research and practice : the journal of the Sarah Duffen Centre / University of Portsmouth
Hinnell, C. and Virji-Babul, N.
2004Performing movement sequences with knowledge of results under different visual conditions in adults with Down syndrome.
Down's syndrome, research and practice : the journal of the Sarah Duffen Centre / University of Portsmouth
Virji-Babul, N. and Lloyd, J.E. and Van Gyn, G.
DOI: 10.3104/reports.137
2003Reprogramming of muscle activation patterns at the wrist in compensation for elbow reaction torques during planar two-joint arm movements
Experimental Brain Research
Cooke, J.D. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1007/BF00241366
1995Influence of joint interactional effects on the coordination of planar two-joint arm movements
Experimental Brain Research
Virji-Babul, N. and Cooke, J.D.
DOI: 10.1007/BF00241504
1995Effects of gravitational forces on single joint arm movements in humans
Experimental Brain Research
Virji-Babul, N. and Cooke, J.D. and Brown, S.H.
DOI: 10.1007/BF00239600
1994Balance evaluation in hemiparetic stroke patients using lateral forces applied to the hip
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Wing, A.M. and Goodrich, S. and Virji-Babul, N. and Jenner, J.R. and Clapp, S.
1993Effects of Post-operative Environment on Recovery of Function Following Brain Damage: A brief literature review
Physiotherapy (United Kingdom)
Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1016/S0031-9406(10)60377-X
1991Introduction: Issues in the training of postural control (Cambridge July 1991)
Physiotherapy Theory and Practice
1991Analysis of a management model for the treatment of hearing-impaired infants
Physiotherapy Theory and Practice
Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.3109/09593989009048294
1990Myelin water fraction decrease in mild traumatic brain injury
Bretta Russell-Schulz and Irene Vavasour and Jing Zhang and Alex L. MacKay and Victoria Purcell and Angela M. Muller and Leyla Brucar and Ivan J. Torres and William Panenka and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1101/2020.02.05.934430Resting-state directed brain connectivity patterns in adolescents from source-reconstructed EEG signals based on information flow rate
Dionissios Hristopulos and Arif Babul and Shazia Babul and Leyla R Brucar and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1101/608299Recurrent Neural Network-based Acute Concussion Classifier using Raw Resting State EEG Data
Karun Thanjavur and Arif Babul and Brandon Foran and Maya Bielecki and Adam Gilchrist and Dionissios T. Hristopulos and Leyla R. Brucar and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1101/2020.07.07.192138 - Research
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Aging in Down Syndrome: A Model for Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease
Postmortem studies show that at 40 years of age, almost all subjects with DS have neuropathological changes that meet the pathological criteria for AD. These changes include extensive cerebral atrophy, accumulation of ßamyloid, extracellular senile plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles in the hippocampus and frontal and temporal cortices. DS is therefore an extremely useful model to study the preclinical stages of AD as middle aged individuals can be identified prior to any clinical signs of dementia. Our goal is to use MEG data to compute measures of functional connectivity that may be useful in predicting the onset of dementia.Perception of Motion and Emotion
Social behavior depends upon inferences that are based on the perception and interpretation of other people’s actions and emotions. Given the fundamental importance of accurately perceiving socially relevant information, we are studying how children and adults (with and without DS) perceive this information. We present short video clips showing animations of people performing different actions or portraying a variety of emotional expressions in the movement of their bodies. We are currently investigating how the underlying patterns of brain activity are modulated by the emotional content of the actions.Mirrors in the Brain
Humans have a remarkable ability to understand the actions and intentions of other people, and to imitate these same actions. How we understand and interpret the actions and an emotion of others has been a central question in neuroscience. Advances in neuroscience in the last decade have led to the discovery of new class of brain cells called mirror neurons. These cells not only fire when we perform an action but also when we watch someone else performing the same action. This discovery has generated tremendous excitement as some scientists speculate that the mirror neuron system may form the basis of our social behaviour, our ability to imitate, acquire language and show empathy. The question we asked is whether this system is intact in individuals with Down syndrome. Results from our work indicates that although there is a link between perception and action in individuals with DS, the mirror neuron system may not function in the same way as in typical individuals. We are now in the process of designing research studies to investigate whether targeted “observation intervention” can cause changes in the underlying activation patterns in the brain.GrantsVirji-Babul, N. Weeks, D., Roberts, L., et al. (2006-2008) MEG Laboratory Infrastructure Funds. Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) Grant (160,000.00).
Virji-Babul, N., Ribary, Urs. NSERC Discovery Grant ($75,000: 2008-2013).
Virji-Babul, N. NSERC Discovery Grant (2014)
Honours & AwardsInternational Scholarship, Columbia University, New York, NY (1989-1990)
Research Roundup: August 2021
This month's Research Roundup covers new targets for treating schizophrenia, improved models of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, game-changing concussion education for educators and a new way to identify concussions using resting state EEG data.
