Dr Neshika Samarasekera (BMedSci MRCP PhD)
Consultant neurologist, NHS Lothian and NRS Research Fellow

Contact details
- Tel: 01315372944
- Email: neshika.samarasekera@ed.ac.uk
Address
- Street
-
Fu303a, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences
Chancellors Building
49 Little France Crescent - City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH16 4SB
Background
I am a clinical neurologist and stroke doctor. My research interest is in the epidemiology, causes and the effects of intracerebral haemorrhage on patients and on the brain.
Qualifications
BMedSci (University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 2000)
MBBS (University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 2003)
MRCP (RCP Edinburgh, 2006)
PhD (University of Edinburgh, 2015)
Undergraduate teaching
I regularly teach University of Edinburgh undergraduate medical students using bedside teaching, small group sessions and teaching students who attend TIA and general neurology out-patient clinics.
Postgraduate teaching
I have contributed to the Neuroscience PhD teaching programme and the teaching of junior doctors prior to their MRCP exams.
Areas of interest for supervision
I have supervised medical students undertaking research projects in intracerebral haemorrhage both as part of their SSC5 block and at other stages of their degree.
Current PhD students supervised
Laura Cunningham, SSC5 medical student, University of Edinburgh
Past PhD students supervised
Arthur Fonville, University of Amsterdam
Pheng Toh, University of Edinburgh
Luke Perry, Monash University, Australia
Research summary
Intracerebral haemorrhage affects 10 000 adults annually in the UK and 4 out of every 10 sufferers die in the first month after their bleed. As yet, there is no effective medical treatment for this condition. My PhD, examined the underlying causes of ICH (particularly looking at the role of cerebral amyloid angiopathy). My work is part of the Research to Understand Haemorrhage programme(RUSH; https://www.ed.ac.uk/clinical-brain-sciences/research/diagnoses-disease-targets/rush). I am looking at the long term outcomes for adults who have had a spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage and the effect that bleeding has on brain tissue. The long term aim is to be able to develop an effective treatment for this condition.
Current project grants
2017 The Stroke Association Haemorrhagic Stroke Priority Programme Award, Co-lead applicant £449,482
Past project grants
2009 UK MRC / The Stroke Association Clinical Research Training Fellowship, £163,316
-
Association of baseline hematoma and edema volumes with one-year outcome and long-term survival after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: A community-based inception cohort study
In:
International Journal of Stroke, pp. 174749302097428
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1747493020974282
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Association between Computed Tomographic Biomarkers of Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases and Long-Term Outcome after Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage
In:
Annals of Neurology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.25949
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
The association between CT biomarkers of cerebral small vessel diseases and long‐term outcome after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage
In:
Annals of Neurology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.25949
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Accuracy of identifying incident stroke cases from linked healthcare data in UK Biobank
In:
Neurology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000009924
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Neurological and neuropsychiatric complications of COVID-19 in 153 patients: a UK-wide surveillance study
In:
Lancet Psychiatry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30287-X
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Elderly woman with subacute lower limb weakness and rapid systemic decline
In:
Practical neurology, pp. practneurol-2019-002476
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/practneurol-2019-002476
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Incident Cerebral Microbleeds After Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
In:
Stroke
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.118.023746
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Association of apolipoprotein E with intracerebral hemorrhage risk by race/ethnicity: A meta-analysis
In:
JAMA Neurology, pp. 480-491
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.4519
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
The Edinburgh CT and genetic diagnostic criteria for lobar intracerebral haemorrhage with cerebral amyloid angiopathy: model development and diagnostic test accuracy study
In:
Lancet Neurology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30006-1
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Brain hemorrhage recurrence, small vessel disease type and cerebral microbleeds: a meta-analysis
In:
Neurology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000004259
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Imaging features of intracerebral hemorrhage with cerebral amyloid angiopathy: Systematic review and meta-analysis
In:
PLoS ONE, vol. 12
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180923
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Genetic Variants in CETP Increase Risk of Intracerebral Hemorrhage
In:
Annals of Neurology, vol. 80, pp. 730–740
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.24780
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Deposition of amyloid β in the walls of human leptomeningeal arteries in relation to perivascular drainage pathways in cerebral amyloid angiopathy
In:
Biochimica et biophysica acta-Bioenergetics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2015.08.024
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Consent for brain tissue donation after intracerebral haemorrhage: a community-based study
In:
PLoS ONE, vol. 10
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135043
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Influence of Intracerebral Hemorrhage Location on Incidence, Characteristics, and Outcome: Population-Based Study
In:
Stroke, vol. 46, pp. 361-368
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.007953
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Variation in Restarting Antithrombotic Drugs at Hospital Discharge After Intracerebral Hemorrhage
In:
Stroke, vol. 45, pp. 2643-2648
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.006202
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Brain banking for neurological disorders
(10 pages)
In:
Lancet Neurology, vol. 12, pp. 1096-1105
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70202-3
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Literature review (Published)