Bikash Pattnaik, PhD, Principal Investigator, associate professor, Neonatology and Newborn Nursery, along with Co-PI, Pelin Cengiz, MD, professor, Critical Care, were awarded a $50,000 Basic and Clinical Translational Research Pilot award from the UW Institutive of Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR). In this one-year longitudinal study, titled “Visual function of neonates as a measure of neurodevelopmental outcome,” the team will continue their research evaluating the use of visual electrophysiology as an early marker of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Collaborators on this project include Yasmin Bradfield, MD, professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Maria Stanley, MD, professor and division chief, Developmental Pediatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine, and Megan Watts Berube, MD, assistant professor, Neonatology and Newborn Nursery.
Neonatal HIE is a common cause of brain injury in newborns affecting 3-5 in 1000 live births and can result in severe, life-long neurodevelopmental consequences for many affected infants. The study will use an innovative and noninvasive handheld device to diagnose HIE early after birth and predict the risk for other developmental severe challenges. Early recognition of developmental delays is of great importance to assure timely services and appropriate intensity to optimize long-term outcomes.