Dr Neshika Samarasekera (BMedSci MRCP PhD)
Consultant neurologist, NHS Lothian; NRS Research Fellow and Stroke Association Senior Clinical Lecturer
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. I have also supervised academic foundation doctors and PhD students with aspects of their research.
Current PhD students supervised
University of Edinburgh students and trainee doctors being supervised
Marcus Kam, University of Edinburgh
Matthew Wade, Academic foundation doctor
Past PhD students supervised
Previous students supervised (University of Edinburgh medical and non medical students, students from other universities, PhD students)
Arthur Fonville, University of Amsterdam
Pheng Toh, University of Edinburgh
Luke Perry, Monash University, Australia
Laura Cunningham, SSC5 medical student, University of Edinburgh
Yawen Xiang, University of Edinburgh
Caoimhe Kirby, Wellcome Trust Translational Neurosci PhD student
James Loan, ECAT neurosurgical trainee
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 research interests
Peri-haematomal oedema and outcome after intracerebral haemorrhage; cognition and intracerebral haemorrhage; serum biomarkers and intracerebral haemorrhageCurrent project grants
2024-2029 The Stroke Association Senior Clinical Lectureship £235 000: Seeking an inflammation modulating treatment for cerebral haemorrhage (SEARxCH)
2023-2026 Chief Scientist Office Project Grant £298,985: PLatform randomised controlled trial for INTracerebral Haemorrhage (PLINTH): community-based feasibility study.
2022-2023 British Heart Foundation, £24 950: 'Spatially profiling human brains to identify mechanisms of tissue damage and repair following cerebrovascular rupture'
Past project grants
2020-2022 British Heart Foundation REA3 Pump priming award, £46 740: 'Individual participant data meta-analysis of the association between peri-haematomal oedema and outcome after intracerebral haemorrhage'
2017-2023 The Stroke Association Haemorrhagic Stroke Priority Programme Award, Co-lead applicant £449,482: 'Neuroinflammation after cerebral haemorrhage in Edinburgh'
2009 UK MRC / The Stroke Association Clinical Research Training Fellowship, £163,316
-
The association between perihaematomal oedema and functional outcome after spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage: A systematic review and meta-analysis
In:
European Stroke Journal
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/23969873231157884
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
The Boston criteria version 2.0 for cerebral amyloid angiopathy: a multicentre, retrospective, MRI–neuropathology diagnostic accuracy study
(12 pages)
In:
Lancet Neurology, vol. 21, pp. 714-725
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(22)00208-3
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Profiling of human perihaematomal tissue identifies two pathological brain states following intracerebral haemorrhage
In:
Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, vol. 42, pp. 64-64
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0271678X221096356
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Meeting abstract (Published) -
Nrf2 activation in the human brain after stroke due to supratentorial intracerebral haemorrhage: a case–control study
In:
BMJ Open Neurology, vol. 4, pp. e000238
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjno-2021-000238
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Secondary injury and inflammation after intracerebral haemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis of molecular markers in patient brain tissue
In:
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, pp. jnnp-2021-327098
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2021-327098
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Risks of recurrent stroke and all serious vascular events after spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage: pooled analyses of two population-based studies
In:
Lancet Neurology, vol. 20, pp. 437-447
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00075-2
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Rare missense functional variants at COL4A1 and COL4A2 in sporadic intracerebral Hhmorrhage
In:
Neurology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000012227
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
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) -
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:
The 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
(9 pages)
In:
Lancet Neurology, vol. 17, pp. 232-240
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30006-1
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
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)