BCCHR Researchers Find a Researcher

Naznin Virji-Babul

BHSc (PT), MA, PhD (Neuroscience)

Affiliate Investigator, BC Children's Hospital
Director, Interdisciplinary Research, Office of the Vice-President, Health, UBC Health

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.

Academic Affiliations

Associate Professor, , Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Research Theme: Healthy Starts
Research Group(s): Neurodevelopmental and Neurological Disorders; Visualizing the Brain

Contact Information

Location

2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z3

(604) 827-4966

nvb31@mail.ubc.ca

Changes in EEG Microstate Dynamics and Cognition Post-Chemotherapy in People With Breast Cancer

Brain and Behavior

Damji, S. and Sattari, S. and Zadravec, K. and Campbell, K.L. and Brunet, J. and Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.1002/brb3.70335

Linking a Deep Learning Model for Concussion Classification with Reorganization of Large-Scale Brain Networks in Female Youth

Bioengineering

McLeod, J. and Thanjavur, K. and Sattari, S. and Babul, A. and Hristopulos, D.T. and Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering12090986

Faculty diversity trends in physical medicine and rehabilitation by gender, race, and ethnicity in the United States, 1977"2021

Pm and R

Lawand, J. and Mazhar, L. and Rauf, A. and Ding, J. and Siddiqi, J. and Tiwana, S. and Virji-Babul, N. and Khosa, F.

DOI: 10.1002/pmrj.13291

Altered resting state EEG microstate dynamics in acute-phase pediatric mild traumatic brain injury

Medrxiv

Sattari, S. and Damji, S. and McLeod, J. and Mirian, M.S. and Wu, L.C. and Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.1101/2024.10.26.24316185

Individualized monitoring of longitudinal heading exposure in soccer

Scientific Reports

Kenny, R. and Elez, M. and Clansey, A. and Virji-Babul, N. and Wu, L.C.

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52163-8

Changes in EEG microstate dynamics and cognition post-chemotherapy in people with breast cancer: A pilot study

Medrxiv

Damji, S. and Sattari, S. and Zadravec, K. and Campbell, K.L. and Brunet, J. and Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.03.24309730

Menstrual cycle phase modulates causal connectivity in the resting-state brain of healthy females

Biorxiv

McLeod, J. and Sattari, S. and Chavan, A. and Galea, L.A.M. and Babul, S. and Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.07.598022

Distinct Effects of Brain Activation Using tDCS and Observational Practice: Implications for Motor Rehabilitation

Brain Sciences

McLeod, J. and Chavan, A. and Lee, H. and Sattari, S. and Kurry, S. and Wake, M. and Janmohamed, Z. and Hodges, N.J. and Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020175

Resting-state causal brain connectivity in youth female athletes suggest sex-related differences following subacute concussion

Medrxiv

McLeod, J. and Sattari, S. and Hristopulos, D.T. and Thanjavur, K. and Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.04.24311356

Correlating Motion Artifacts in Wet and Dry Electrodes With Head Kinematics During Physical Activities in Ambulatory EEG Monitoring

IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement

Luu, C. and Gao, Y. and Cat Nguyen, H. and Soltanian, S. and Virji-Babul, N. and Servati, P. and Van Der Loos, H.F.M. and Wu, L.C.

DOI: 10.1109/TIM.2024.3398124

Blink-related EEG oscillations are neurophysiological indicators of subconcussive head impacts in female soccer players: a preliminary study

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

Sattari, S. and Kenny, R. and Liu, C.C. and Hajra, S.G. and Dumont, G.A. and Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1208498

Distinct effects of priming the brain using tDCS and observational practice: new evidence from brain effective connectivity

bioRxiv

McLeod, J. and Chavan, A. and Lee, H. and Sattari, S. and Kurry, S. and Wake, M. and Janmohamed, Z. and Hodges, N.J. and Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.12.570884

Head Impact Exposure and Biomechanics in University Varsity Womens 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

A 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

Deep 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

Longitudinal 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

Myelin 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

Prenatal 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

Brain 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

Study 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

Neuroenhancement 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

Preseason 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 / 2019

One 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 / 2019

Cortical 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

Hub 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

Alterations 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

Disrupted 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

Stuck 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

The 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

Mu 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

Pediatric Motivation Scale

PsycTESTS Dataset

Sandy K. Tatla and Tal Jarus and Naznin Virji-Babul and Liisa Holsti

DOI: 10.1037/t54824-000

01 / 2017

Infants 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

Changes 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

Attention-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

Associating 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

Development 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

Alterations 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

Source-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

Perceptions 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

The 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

Therapists' 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

Comparison 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

The 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

A 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

Changes 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

The 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

Network 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

Diffusion 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

Evidence 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

Concussion: 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

A Skew-t space-varying regression model for the spectral analysis of resting state brain activity

Statistical Methods in Medical Research

Ismail, S. and Sun, W. and Nathoo, F.S. and Babul, A. and Moiseev, A. and Beg, M.F. and Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.1177/0962280212448974

Neural 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

Combining 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

Distinct DNA methylation patterns of cognitive impairment and trisomy 21 in down syndrome

BMC Medical Genomics

Jones, M.J. and Farr, 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

Dynamics 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

Recognition 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

Neural 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

Aspects of motor development in down syndrome

Neurocognitive Rehabilitation of Down Syndrome: The Early Years

Virji-Babul, N. and Jobling, A. and Elliot, D. and Weeks, D.

DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511919299.012

Altered 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

Analysis 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

Pediatric 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

Spatial-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

Neural 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

Brain 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

Cortical 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

The 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

Adults 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 / 2009

Perception, Cognition, and Action: New Perspectives on Down Syndrome

International Review of Research in Mental Retardation

Virji-Babul, N. and Weeks, D.

DOI: 10.1016/S0074-7750(08)38006-9

Evidence 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

External 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

Investigation 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

Joint 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

Changes 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

Magnetoencephalographic 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

MEG 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

Analysis 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

Use 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.

Neural 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

Children 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 / 2006

The 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 / 2006

Integrated 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

A 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

Perceptual-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

A 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.

Influence 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

Gesture-based affective computing on motion capture data

Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)

Kapur, A. and Kapur, A. and Virji-Babul, N. and Tzanetakis, G. and Driessen, P.F.

DOI: 10.1007/11573548_1

Stiffness 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

Stepping 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

Mental 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.

Performing 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

Reprogramming 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

Influence 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

Effects 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

Balance 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.

Effects 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

Introduction: Issues in the training of postural control (Cambridge July 1991)

Physiotherapy Theory and Practice

Van Vliet, P. and Virji-Babul, N.

Analysis of a management model for the treatment of hearing-impaired infants

Physiotherapy Theory and Practice

Virji-Babul, N.

DOI: 10.3109/09593989009048294

Myelin 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: 10.1101/2020.02.05.934430

Resting-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: 10.1101/608299

Recurrent 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

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.

Grants

Virji-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 & Awards

International Scholarship, Columbia University, New York, NY (1989-1990)

Our Research

At BC Children’s, we are making discoveries that save lives and transform health care for children in our province and around the world. Our research portfolio includes basic, clinical, population, and public health research.

EXPLORE OUR RESEARCH

Naznin Virji-Babul

BHSc (PT), MA, PhD (Neuroscience)

Affiliate Investigator, BC Children's Hospital Director, Interdisciplinary Research, Office of the Vice-President, Health, UBC Health

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Changes in EEG Microstate Dynamics and Cognition Post-Chemotherapy in People With Breast Cancer

Linking a Deep Learning Model for Concussion Classification with Reorganization of Large-Scale Brain Networks in Female Youth

Faculty diversity trends in physical medicine and rehabilitation by gender, race, and ethnicity in the United States, 1977"2021

Altered resting state EEG microstate dynamics in acute-phase pediatric mild traumatic brain injury

Individualized monitoring of longitudinal heading exposure in soccer

Changes in EEG microstate dynamics and cognition post-chemotherapy in people with breast cancer: A pilot study

Menstrual cycle phase modulates causal connectivity in the resting-state brain of healthy females

Distinct Effects of Brain Activation Using tDCS and Observational Practice: Implications for Motor Rehabilitation

Resting-state causal brain connectivity in youth female athletes suggest sex-related differences following subacute concussion

Correlating Motion Artifacts in Wet and Dry Electrodes With Head Kinematics During Physical Activities in Ambulatory EEG Monitoring

Blink-related EEG oscillations are neurophysiological indicators of subconcussive head impacts in female soccer players: a preliminary study

Distinct effects of priming the brain using tDCS and observational practice: new evidence from brain effective connectivity

Head Impact Exposure and Biomechanics in University Varsity Womens Soccer

A matter of perspective: Distinct brain mechanisms for evaluating positive and negative social feedback about oneself and another person

Deep Learning Recurrent Neural Network for Concussion Classification in Adolescents Using Raw Electroencephalography Signals: Toward a Minimal Number of Sensors

Longitudinal changes in brain parenchyma due to mild traumatic brain injury during the first year after injury

Myelin water fraction decrease in individuals with chronic mild traumatic brain injury and persistent symptoms

Prenatal exposure to maternal depression is related to the functional connectivity organization underlying emotion perception in 8-10-month-old infants " Preliminary findings

Brain recovery from sports related concussion: Is there a new normal?

Study protocol of the Aerobic exercise and CogniTIVe functioning in women with breAsT cancEr (ACTIVATE) trial: A two-arm, two-centre randomized controlled trial

Neuroenhancement using transcranial electrical brain stimulation in adolescence: Ethical and social concerns

Preseason Vestibular Ocular Motor Screening in Children and Adolescents

One session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) does not modulate mu suppression when learning a novel motor task in healthy adults

Cortical activity and network organization underlying physical and cognitive exertion in active young adult athletes: Implications for concussion

Hub distribution of the brain functional networks of newborns prenatally exposed to maternal depression and SSRI antidepressants

Alterations in Resting-State Networks Following In Utero Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Exposure in the Neonatal Brain

Disrupted Information Flow in Resting-State in Adolescents With Sports Related Concussion

Stuck in a State of Inattention? Functional Hyperconnectivity as an Indicator of Disturbed Intrinsic Brain Dynamics in Adolescents With Concussion: A Pilot Study

The role of physical activity in recovery from concussion in youth: A neuroscience perspective

Mu Suppression Is Sensitive to Observational Practice but Results in Different Patterns of Activation in Comparison with Physical Practice

Pediatric Motivation Scale

Infants and adults have similar regional functional brain organization for the perception of emotions

Changes in brain-behavior relationships following a 3-month pilot cognitive intervention program for adults with traumatic brain injury

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is associated with baseline child sport concussion assessment tool third edition scores in child hockey players

Associating physical activity levels with motor performance and physical function in childhood survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Development of the Sports Organization Concussion Risk Assessment Tool (SOCRAT)

Alterations in resting-state brain networks in concussed adolescent athletes

Source-domain spectral EEG analysis of sports-related concussion via Measure Projection Analysis

Perceptions of technology and its use for therapeutic application for individuals with hemiparesis: Findings from adult and pediatric focus groups

The Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (Child SCAT3): Normative values and correspondence between child and parent symptom scores in male child athletes

Therapists' perceptions of social media and video game technologies in upper limb rehabilitation

Comparison of foam-based and spring-loaded dry EEG electrodes with wet electrodes in resting and moving conditions

The development of the pediatric motivation scale for rehabilitation

A variational Bayes spatiotemporal model for electromagnetic brain mapping

Changes in functional brain networks following sports-related concussion in adolescents

The effects of motivating interventions on rehabilitation outcomes in children and youth with acquired brain injuries: A systematic review

Network analysis of perception-action coupling in infants

Diffusion tensor imaging of sports-related concussion in adolescents

Evidence for outcomes of motivational rehabilitation interventions for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: An american academy for cerebral palsy and developmental medicine systematic review

Concussion: Current concepts in diagnosis and management

A Skew-t space-varying regression model for the spectral analysis of resting state brain activity

Neural correlates of music recognition in Down syndrome

Combining whole-brain voxel-wise analysis with in vivo tractography of diffusion behavior after sports-related concussion in adolescents: A preliminary report

Distinct DNA methylation patterns of cognitive impairment and trisomy 21 in down syndrome

Dynamics of oscillatory changes associated with the perception of human motion

Recognition of facial expressions of emotion in adults with down syndrome

Neural correlates of action understanding in infants: Influence of motor experience

Aspects of motor development in down syndrome

Altered brain dynamics during voluntary movement in individuals with Down syndrome

Analysis of patterns of motor behavior in gamers with down syndrome

Pediatric CNS pathophysiology

Spatial-temporal dynamics of cortical activity underlying reaching and grasping

Neural mechanisms underlying action observation in adults with down syndrome

Brain network connectivity dynamics during voluntary finger movement in right handed adults with Down syndrome: Evidence for contralateral and ipsilateral dominance

Cortical dynamics underlying the visual perception of stationary and moving stimuli

The perception of friendship in adults with Down syndrome

Adults with Down syndrome show right hemisphere dominance during right-handed voluntary movements.

Perception, Cognition, and Action: New Perspectives on Down Syndrome

Evidence for slowing as a function of index of difficulty in young adults with down syndrome

External landmark and head-shape-based functional data normalization

Investigation of a two-point maximum entropy regularization method for signal enhancement applied to magnetoencephalography data

Affiliate Investigator, BC Children's Hospital
Director, Interdisciplinary Research, Office of the Vice-President, Health, UBC Health