Overview

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

Individualized monitoring of longitudinal heading exposure in soccer
Scientific Reports
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52163-8
2024

Distinct Effects of Brain Activation Using tDCS and Observational Practice: Implications for Motor Rehabilitation
Brain Sciences
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020175
2024

Blink-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
2023

Distinct effects of priming the brain using tDCS and observational practice: new evidence from brain effective connectivity
bioRxiv
DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.12.570884
2023

Head 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
2022

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
2022

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
2021

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
2021

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
2021

Preseason Vestibular Ocular Motor Screening in Children and Adolescents
Clinical journal of sport medicine : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine
Iverson, G.L. and Cook, N.E. and Howell, D.R. and Collings, L.J. and Kusch, C. and Sun, J. and Virji-Babul, N. and Panenka, W.J.
DOI: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000000767
2021

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
2021

Recurrent neural network-based acute concussion classifier using raw resting state EEG data
Scientific Reports
Thanjavur, K. and Babul, A. and Foran, B. and Bielecki, M. and Gilchrist, A. and Hristopulos, D.T. and Brucar, L.R. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91614-4
2021

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
07/2020

Myelin water fraction decrease in mild traumatic brain injury
bioRxiv
Russell-Schulz, B. and Vavasour, I. and Zhang, J. and MacKay, A.L. and Purcell, V. and Muller, A.M. and Brucar, L. and Torres, I.J. and Panenka, W. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1101/2020.02.05.934430
2020

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
2020

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
2020

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
2020

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

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
04/2019

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
Shaun Porter and Noah D. Silverberg and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2018.09.233
04/2019

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

Alterations in Resting-State Networks Following In Utero Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Exposure in the Neonatal Brain
Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging
Naama Rotem-Kohavi and Lynne J. Williams and Naznin Virji-Babul and Bruce H. Bjornson and Ursula Brain and Janet F. Werker and Ruth E. Grunau and Steven P. Miller and Tim F. Oberlander
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.08.004
01/2019

Disrupted information flow in resting-state in adolescents with sports related concussion
bioRxiv
Hristopulos, D.T. and Babul, A. and Babul, S. and Brucar, L.R. and Virji-Babul, N.
DOI: 10.1101/671685
2019

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
2019

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
2019

The Role of Physical Activity in Recovery From Concussion in Youth: A Neuroscience Perspective.
Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPT
DOI: 10.1097/npt.0000000000000226
PubMed: 29864097
07/2018

Mu Suppression Is Sensitive to Observational Practice but Results in Different Patterns of Activation in Comparison with Physical Practice
Neural Plasticity
Najah Alhajri and Nicola J. Hodges and Jill G. Zwicker and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1155/2018/8309483
05/2018

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
Angela M. Muller and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1177/1759091417753802
01/2018

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
2018

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is associated with baseline child sport concussion assessment tool third edition scores in child hockey players.
Brain injury
DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2017.1377351
PubMed: 28980829
10/2017

Changes in brain-behavior relationships following a 3-month pilot cognitive intervention program for adults with traumatic brain injury
Heliyon
S. Porter and I.J. Torres and W. Panenka and Z. Rajwani and D. Fawcett and A. Hyder and N. Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00373
08/2017

Infants and adults have similar regional functional brain organization for the perception of emotions
Neuroscience Letters
N. Rotem-Kohavi and T.F. Oberlander and N. Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.04.031
05/2017

Development of the Sports Organization Concussion Risk Assessment Tool (SOCRAT)
Brain Injury
A. Yeung and V. Munjal and N. Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2016.1271456
02/2017

Associating Physical Activity Levels with Motor Performance and Physical Function in Childhood Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Physiotherapy Canada
Stanley H. Hung and Anne Rankin and Naznin Virji-Babul and Sheila Pritchard and Christopher Fryer and Kristin L. Campbell
DOI: 10.3138/ptc.2015-67lhc
02/2017

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

Associating Physical Activity Levels with Motor Performance and Physical Function in Childhood Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada
DOI: 10.3138/ptc.2015-67LHC
PubMed: 28154445
01/2017

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 & Exercise Medicine
Shaun Porter and Jenna Smith-Forrester and Najah Alhajri and Cody Kusch and Jonathan Sun and Bill Barrable and William J Panenka and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2015-000029
08/2015

Comparison of foam-based and spring-loaded dry EEG electrodes with wet electrodes in resting and moving conditions
2015 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC)
Arnold Yeung and Harinath Garudadri and Carolyn Van Toen and Patrick Mercier and Ozgur Balkan and Scott Makeig and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1109/embc.2015.7320036
08/2015

Source-domain spectral EEG analysis of sports-related concussion via Measure Projection Analysis
2015 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC)
Ozgur Balkan and Naznin Virji-Babul and Makoto Miyakoshi and Scott Makeig and Harinath Garudadri
DOI: 10.1109/embc.2015.7319284
08/2015

Therapists’ Perceptions of Social Media and Video Game Technologies in Upper Limb Rehabilitation
JMIR Serious Games
Sandy K Tatla and Navid Shirzad and Keith R Lohse and Naznin Virji-Babul and Alison M Hoens and Liisa Holsti and Linda C Li and Kimberly J Miller and Melanie Y Lam and HF Machiel Van der Loos
DOI: 10.2196/games.3401
03/2015

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
Melanie Y Lam and Sandy K Tatla and Keith R Lohse and Navid Shirzad and Alison M Hoens and Kimberly J Miller and Liisa Holsti and Naznin Virji-Babul and HF Machiel Van der Loos
DOI: 10.2196/rehab.3484
02/2015

Alterations in Resting-State Brain Networks in Concussed Adolescent Athletes
Journal of Neurotrauma
Michael Borich and Aliya-Nur Babul and Po Hsiang Yuan and Lara Boyd and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1089/neu.2013.3269
02/2015

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
2015

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
2015

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
2015

Network analysis of perception-action coupling in infants
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Naama Rotem-Kohavi and Courtney G. E. Hilderman and Aiping Liu and Nadia Makan and Jane Z. Wang and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00209
04/2014

The effects of motivating interventions on rehabilitation outcomes in children and youth with acquired brain injuries: A systematic review
Brain Injury
Sandy K. Tatla and Karen Sauve and Tal Jarus and Naznin Virji-Babul and Liisa Holsti
DOI: 10.3109/02699052.2014.890747
03/2014

Changes in Functional Brain Networks following Sports-Related Concussion in Adolescents
Journal of Neurotrauma
Naznin Virji-Babul and Courtney G.E. Hilderman and Nadia Makan and Aiping Liu and Jenna Smith-Forrester and Chris Franks and Z.J. Wang
DOI: 10.1089/neu.2014.3450
2014

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
2014

Concussion
Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy
Michael R. Borich and Katharine L. Cheung and Paul Jones and Vera Khramova and Lauren Gavrailoff and Lara A. Boyd and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1097/npt.0b013e31829f7460
09/2013

Combining Whole-Brain Voxel-Wise Analysis withIn VivoTractography of Diffusion Behavior after Sports-Related Concussion in Adolescents: A Preliminary Report
Journal of Neurotrauma
Michael Borich and Nadia Makan and Lara Boyd and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1089/neu.2012.2818
07/2013

Neural correlates of music recognition in Down syndrome
Brain and Cognition
N. Virji-Babul and A. Moiseev and W. Sun and T. Feng and N. Moiseeva and K.J. Watt and M. Huotilainen
DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2012.11.007
03/2013

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 & Child Neurology
Sandy K Tatla and Karen Sauve and Naznin Virji-Babul and Liisa Holsti and Charlene Butler and Hendrik F Machiel Van Der Loos
DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.12147
03/2013

Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Sports-Related Concussion in Adolescents
Pediatric Neurology
Naznin Virji-Babul and Michael R. Borich and Nadia Makan and Tiffany Moore and Kira Frew and Carolyn A. Emery and Lara A. Boyd
DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2012.09.005
01/2013

A Skew-t space-varying regression model for the spectral analysis of resting state brain activity
Statistical Methods in Medical Research
DOI: 10.1177/0962280212448974
2013

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
2013

Distinct 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
2013

Dynamics of oscillatory changes associated with the perception of human motion
NeuroReport
Naznin Virji-Babul and Alexander Moiseev and Wenqi Sun and Arman Fesharaki and Faisal Beg and Urs Ribary
DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0b013e328357288e
09/2012

Neural correlates of action understanding in infants: influence of motor experience
Brain and Behavior
N. Virji-Babul and A. Rose and N. Moiseeva and N. Makan
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.50
04/2012

Recognition of Facial Expressions of Emotion in Adults with Down Syndrome
Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics
Naznin Virji-Babul and Kimberley Watt and Farouk Nathoo and Peter Johnson
DOI: 10.3109/01942638.2011.653626
02/2012

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
2012

Altered brain dynamics during voluntary movement in individuals with Down syndrome
NeuroReport
Naznin Virji-Babul and Alexander Moiseev and Nadya Moiseeva and Wenqi Sun and Urs Ribary and Ira Lott
DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0b013e328346a1a0
05/2011

Aspects of motor development in down syndrome
Neurocognitive Rehabilitation of Down Syndrome: The Early Years
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511919299.012
2011

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
2011

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
2011

The perception of friendship in adults with Down syndrome
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research
K. J. Watt and P. Johnson and N. Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01330.x
09/2010

Neural Mechanisms Underlying Action Observation in Adults With Down Syndrome
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Naznin Virji-Babul and Alexander Moiseev and Teresa Cheung and Daniel J. Weeks and Douglas Cheyne and Urs Ribary
DOI: 10.1352/1944-7588-115.2.113
03/2010

Pediatric CNS Pathophysiology
17th International Conference on Biomagnetism Advances in Biomagnetism – Biomag2010
Julia M. Stephen and Sven Braeutigam and Paul L. Furlong and Urs Ribary and Timothy P. L. Roberts and Nazin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-12197-5_55
2010

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
2010

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
2010

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
2010

Evidence for Slowing as a Function of Index of Difficulty in Young Adults With Down Syndrome
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Melanie Y. Lam and Nicola J. Hodges and Naznin Virji-Babul and Mark L. Latash
DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-114.6.411
11/2009

External landmark and head-shape-based functional data normalization
Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics
Mirza Faisal Beg and Stephen Wong and Ali R. Khan and Teresa Cheung and Naznin Virji-Babul and Anthony Herdman
DOI: 10.1016/j.compmedimag.2009.04.008
10/2009

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
DOI: 10.1016/S0074-7750(08)38006-9
2009

Joint stiffness and gait pattern evaluation in children with Down syndrome
Gait & Posture
Manuela Galli and Chiara Rigoldi and Reinald Brunner and Naznin Virji-Babul and Albertini Giorgio
DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2008.03.001
10/2008

Changes in mu rhythm during action observation and execution in adults with Down syndrome: Implications for action representation
Neuroscience Letters
Naznin Virji-Babul and Alexander Moiseev and Teresa Cheung and Daniel Weeks and Douglas Cheyne and Urs Ribary
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.03.022
05/2008

Investigation of a two-point maximum entropy regularization method for signal enhancement applied to magnetoencephalography data
Biomedical Signal Processing and Control
Q. Matthews and A. Jirasek and N. Virji-Babul and A. Babul and T. Cheung
DOI: 10.1016/j.bspc.2007.09.004
01/2008

Neural activity involved in the perception of human and meaningful object motion
NeuroReport
Naznin Virji-Babul and Teresa Cheung and Daniel Weeks and Kimberly Kerns and Maggie Shiffrar
DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0b013e32821c5470
07/2007

Use of health care guidelines in patients with Down syndrome by family physicians across Canada
Paediatrics and Child Health
DOI: 10.1093/pch/12.3.179
03/2007

Magnetoencephalographic analysis of cortical activity in adults with and without Down syndrome
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research
N. Virji-Babul and T. Cheung and D. Weeks and A. T. Herdman and D. Cheyne
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2007.00999.x
2007

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
2007

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
2007

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
2007

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.
2007

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
Susan Fawcett and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1515/ijdhd.2006.5.4.391
01/2006

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
Robyn ¿ Hovorka and Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1515/ijdhd.2006.5.4.351
01/2006

Perceptual-motor deficits in children with Down syndrome: Implications for intervention
Down Syndrome Research and Practice
Naznin Virji-Babul and Kimberly Kerns and Eric Zhou and Asha Kapur and Maggie Shiffrar
DOI: 10.3104/reports.308
2006

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
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
2006

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
2005

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)
DOI: 10.1007/11573548_1
2005

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.
2005

Stepping over obstacles: anticipatory modifications in children with and without Down syndrome
Experimental Brain Research
Naznin Virji-Babul and Michelle Brown
DOI: 10.1007/s00221-004-1971-5
07/2004

Stiffness and postural stability in adults with Down syndrome
Experimental Brain Research
A. Webber and N. Virji-Babul and R. Edwards and M. Lesperance
DOI: 10.1007/s00221-003-1743-7
04/2004

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.
2004

Performing movement sequences with knowledge of results under different visual conditions in adults with Down syndrome
Down Syndrome Research and Practice
Naznin Virji-Babul and Jennifer Lloyd and Geraldine Van Gyn
DOI: 10.3104/reports.137
2003

Influence of joint interactional effects on the coordination of planar two-joint arm movements
Experimental Brain Research
N. Virji-Babul and J.D. Cooke
DOI: 10.1007/bf00241504
11/1995

Reprogramming of muscle activation patterns at the wrist in compensation for elbow reaction torques during planar two-joint arm movements
Experimental Brain Research
J.D. Cooke and N. Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1007/bf00241366
09/1995

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
1995

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
1995

Effects of gravitational forces on single joint arm movements in humans
Experimental Brain Research
N. Virji-Babul and J.D. Cooke and S.H. Brown
DOI: 10.1007/bf00239600
05/1994

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
1994

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.
1993

Effects of Post-operative Environment on Recovery of Function Following Brain Damage: A brief literature review
Physiotherapy
Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.1016/s0031-9406(10)60377-x
09/1991

Introduction: Issues in the training of postural control (Cambridge July 1991)
Physiotherapy Theory and Practice
1991

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
1991

Analysis of a management model for the treatment of hearing-impaired infants
Physiotherapy Theory and Practice
Naznin Virji-Babul
DOI: 10.3109/09593989009048294
01/1990

Research

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)