Ateyeh Soroush

Graduate student - PhD

BRAIN CREATE

Contact information

Biography

About me
I am a Ph.D. candidate at Dr. Jeff Dunn's lab. My academic journey began with my undergraduate studies in Biomedical Engineering, where I majored in Bioelectrics, at Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT). In 2020, after volunteering to contribute to a Concussion study at Dunn Imaging Lab, I began my graduate studies in the Neuroscience program, focusing on clinical research in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Working on this project has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me, and I am passionate about the potential impact that our research can have on improving the lives of those living with MS.

My research
In the Dunn Lab, our research encompasses a diverse spectrum of medical conditions, including concussion, Long-COVID, and multiple sclerosis (MS), under supervision of Dr. Jeff Dunn. My primary research focus is on MS, where I employ near-infrared spectroscopy to assess brain hypoxia and functional connectivity in individuals with MS through advanced optical imaging techniques. Additionally, I study serum samples to investigate the potential relationship between inflammation and brain hypoxia within the context of MS. This research initiative aims to shed light on the profound impact of hypoxia on diverse biomarkers and clinical outcomes, ranging from cognition to fatigue and depression. This project also gives me the opportunity to design an optimal processing algorithm for NIRS data that is most sensitive to the origins of the signals within the brain and allows differentiating between neuronal, and non-neuronal data.

In addition to my thesis, I engage in collaborative studies with teams at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute and the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology within the Department of Medicine. These collaborations focus on in-depth research pertaining to Long-COVID and Inflammatory Bowel Disease respectively, with a specific emphasis on examining the role of brain hypoxia in the context of these systemically inflammatory conditions.

BRAIN CREATE program aspirations
Within my engagement in the BRAIN CREATE program, my primary objective is to explore opportunities for industrial placements. Holding a BSc degree in Biomedical Engineering and currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, I am eager to uncover the synergies between these two fields within the industry, particularly in the realm of brain biomarkers, where significant potential lies. The program's provision for academic exchange is particularly advantageous for Ph.D. students like myself. In essence, I am confident that my involvement in the BRAIN CREATE program will equip me with the essential skills and resources needed to successfully realize this goal of integrating biomedical engineering and neuroscience in an industrial context.

Commercialization
Throughout my involvement in the BRAIN CREATE program, my primary objective is to refine a processing pipeline and algorithms aimed at augmenting the sensitivity of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for brain-origin data. NIRS, a non-invasive light-based brain imaging technique, holds significant promise in diverse medical conditions such as concussion, long-COVID, and multiple sclerosis (MS). Given the relative novelty of NIRS in the research landscape, the enhancement of its processing pipeline and algorithms is paramount to ensuring its dependability and widespread acceptance as a medical tool. Through my project, I aspire to play a pivotal role in advancing NIRS into a secure and reliable medical instrument, thereby contributing to the improvement of patient care and outcomes.

Publications

  1. Adingupu DD, Evans T, Soroush A, Hansen A, Jarvis S, Brown L, Dunn JF. Temporal Pattern of Cortical Hypoxia in Multiple Sclerosis and Its Significance on Neuropsychological and Clinical Measures of Disability. Ann Neurol. 2023 Dec;94(6):1067-1079. doi: 10.1002/ana.26769. Epub 2023 Sep 28. PMID: 37605937.
  2. Adingupu DD, Soroush A, Hansen A, Twomey R, Dunn JF. Brain hypoxia, neurocognitive impairment, and quality of life in people post-COVID-19. J Neurol. 2023 Jul;270(7):3303-3314. doi: 10.1007/s00415-023-11767-2. Epub 2023 May 21. PMID: 37210689; PMCID: PMC10200033.
  3. Soroush A, Adingupu DD, Evans T, Jarvis S, Brown L, Dunn JF. NIRS Studies Show Reduced Interhemispheric Functional Connectivity in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis That Exhibit Cortical Hypoxia. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2022;1395:145-149. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-14190-4_25. PMID: 36527629.
  4. Adingupu DD, Evans T, Soroush A, Jarvis S, Brown L, Dunn JF. Non-invasive Detection of Persistent Cortical Hypoxia in Multiple Sclerosis Using Frequency Domain Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fdNIRS). Adv Exp Med Biol. 2022;1395:89-93. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-14190-4_15. PMID: 36527619.
  5. Hira R, Baker JR, Siddiqui T, Ranada SI, Soroush A, Karalasingham K, Ahmad H, Mavai V, Ayala Valani LM, Ambreen S, Bourne KM, Lloyd MG, Morillo CA, Sheldon RS, Raj SR; Canadian Long COVID Autonomic Network (CanLoCAN). Objective Hemodynamic Cardiovascular Autonomic Abnormalities in Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19. Can J Cardiol. 2023 Jun;39(6):767-775. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2022.12.002. Epub 2022 Dec 9. Erratum in: Can J Cardiol. 2023 Nov;39(11):1732. PMID: 36509178; PMCID: PMC9733966.
  6. Burma JS, Lapointe AP, Soroush A, Oni IK, Smirl JD, Dunn JF. Insufficient sampling frequencies skew heart rate variability estimates: Implications for extracting heart rate metrics from neuroimaging and physiological data. J Biomed Inform. 2021 Nov;123:103934. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2021.103934. Epub 2021 Oct 16. PMID: 34666185.
  7. Lapointe AP, Ritchie JN, Vitali RV, Burma JS, Soroush A, Oni I, Dunn JF. Internal Consistency of Sway Measures via Embedded Head-Mounted Accelerometers: Implications for Neuromotor Investigations. Sensors (Basel). 2021 Jun 30;21(13):4492. doi: 10.3390/s21134492. PMID: 34209391; PMCID: PMC8271381.
  8. Burma JS, Lapointe AP, Soroush A, Oni IK, Smirl JD, Dunn JF. The validity and reliability of an open source biosensing board to quantify heart rate variability. Heliyon. 2021 May 27;7(6):e07148. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07148. PMID: 34124405; PMCID: PMC8173091.
  9. Baghdadi G, Soroush A, Towhidkhah F, Rostami R. Using the Concepts of Time-delayed Feedback Control in Biofeedback Systems in Children with ADD: A Preliminary Study. Commun Nonlinear Sci Numer Simul. 2020 doi: 10.1016/j.cnsns.2020.105235

Awards

• Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) Citizenship Award – 2022
• endMS Scholar Program for Researchers IN Training (SPRINT) Studentship - 2023
• endMS Doctoral Personnel Award - 2023
• NSERC BRAIN CREATE Graduate Scholarship - 2022 
• Vascular Training (VAST) Platform Doctoral Scholarship Award - 2022
• William H. Davies Medical Research Scholarship - 2022 
• Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) Citizenship Award - 2022