Newcastle University

I am a Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist in the Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne. My clinical and research interest is in the neurophysiology of mitochondrial disease.

• Roopun AK, Simonotto JD, Pierce ML, Jenkins A, Schofield IS, Whittaker RG, Kaiser M, Whittington MA, Traub RD, Cunningham MO. A nonsynaptic mechanism underlying interictal discharges in human epileptic neocortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2010, 107(1), 338-343.
• Yu Wai Man P, Griffiths PG, Gorman GS, Lourenco CM, Wright AF, Auer-Grumbach M, Toscano A, Musumeci O, Valentino ML, Caporali L, Lamperti C, Tallaksen CM, Duffey P, Miller J, Whittaker RG, Baker MR, Jackson MJ, Clarke MP, Dhillon B, Czermin B, Stewart JD, Hudson G, Reynier P, Bonneau D, Marques W, Lenaers G, McFarland R, Taylor RW, Turnbull DM, Votruba M, Zeviani M, Carelli V, Bindoff LA, Horvath R, Amati-Bonneau P, Chinnery PF. Multi-system neurological disease is common in patients with OPA1 mutations. Brain 2010, 133, 771-786.
• Gorman G, Turnbull DM, Horvath R, Whittaker R, Phillips A, Cadogan M, Elson JL, McColl E, Apabhai S, MaFarland R. Development and validation of a quality of life scale for mitochondrial disease (MITO-QOL). In: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry: Annual Meeting of the Association of British Neurologists. 2010, Bournemouth, UK: BMJ Group.
• Elson JL, Apabhai S, Gorman G, Whittaker RG, Krishnan KJ. Older mothers are not at risk of having grandchildren with sporadic mtDNA deletions. Genetics in Medicine 2010, 12(5), 313-314.
• Blackwood JK, Whittaker RG, Blakely EL, Alston CL, Turnbull DM, Taylor RW. The investigation and diagnosis of pathogenic mitochondrial DNA mutations in human urothelial cells. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 2010, 393(4), 740-745.
• Kisler JE, Whittaker RG, McFarland R. Mitochondrial diseases in childhood: a clinical approach to investigation and management. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 2010, 52(5), 422-433.
• Whittaker RG, Blackwood JK, Alston CL, Blakely EL, Elson JL, McFarland R, Chinnery PF, Turnbull DM, Taylor RW. Urine Heteroplasmy is the Best Predictor of Clinical Outcome in the m.3243A > G mtDNA Mutation. Neurology 2009, 72(6), 568-569.
• Whittaker RG, Turnbull DM. A diagnostic tattoo. Clinical Genetics 2009, 75(1), 37-38.
• Roopun AK, Traub RD, Baldeweg T, Cunningham MO, Whittaker RG, Trevelyan A, Duncan R, Russell AJC, Whittington MA. Detecting seizure origin using basic, multiscale population dynamic measures: Preliminary findings. Epilepsy & Behavior 2009, 14(1), 39-46.
• Al-Dosary M, Whittaker RG, Haughton J, McFarland R, Goodship J, Turnbull DM, Taylor RW. Neuromuscular disease presentation with three genetic defects involving two genomes. Neuromuscular Disorders 2009, 19(12), 841-844.
• Turnbull H, Whittaker RG, Phillips A, Poulton J, McFarland R. The Risk of Complications in Pregnancy and Labour for Women with Mitochondrial Disease. In: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry: ABN Joint Annual Meeting/Spanish Society of Neurology. 2009, Liverpool, UK: BMJ Group.
• Alston C, Whittaker RG, Blakely EL, Blackwood JK, McFarland R, Turnbull DM, Taylor RW. Urinary epithelia as an indicator of m.3243A>G heteroplasmy levels and predictor of clinical outcome. In: British Human Genetics Conference 2008. 2008, University of York, UK: Journal of Medical Genetics: BMJ Group.
• Schaefer AM, McFarland R, Blakely EL, He L, Whittaker RG, Taylor RW, Chinnery PF, Turnbull DM. Prevalence of mitochondrial DNA disease in adults. Annals of Neurology 2008, 63(1), 35-39.
• Moriarty KT, McFarland R, Whittaker R, Burch J, Turnbull HE, Taylor RW, Turnbull DM. Pre-eclampsia and magnesium toxicity with therapeutic plasma level in a woman with m.3243A > G melas mutation. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2008, 28(3), 349.
• Whittaker RG, Schaefer AM, McFarland R, Taylor RW, Walker M, Turnbull DM. Diabetes and deafness: Is it sufficient to screen for the mitochondrial 3243A>G mutation alone?. Diabetes Care 2007, 30(9), 2238-2239.
• Whittaker RG, Schaefer AM, Taylor RW, Turnbull DM. Differential diagnosis in ptosis and ophthalmoplegia: Mitochondrial disease or myasthenia? [11]. Journal of Neurology 2007, 254(8), 1138-1139.
• Whittaker RG, Schaefer AM, McFarland R, Taylor RW, Walker M, Turnbull DM. Prevalence and progression of diabetes in mitochondrial disease. Diabetologia 2007, 50(10), 2085-2089.
• Whittaker R, Scott A, Gardner M. The prevalence of prolonged cerebral seizures at the first treatment in a course of electroconvulsive therapy. Journal of ECT 2007, 23(1), 11-13.
• Whittaker RG, Ferenczi E, Hilton-Jones D. Myotonic dystrophy: Practical issues relating to assessment of strength. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 2006, 77(11), 1282-1283.
• Hunter E, Rogathe J, Iqbal A, Birchall D, Whittaker R, Jackson M, Jusabani A, Aris E, Walker R. Convulsive epilepsy in a rural district of northern Tanzania: risk factors and classification. In: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry: Association of British Neurologists Annual Meeting. 2012, Gateshead, UK: BMJ Group.
• Cunningham MO, Roopun A, Schofield IS, Whittaker RG, Duncan R, Russell A, Jenkins A, Nicholson C, Whittington MA, Traub RD. Glissandi: transient fast electrocorticographic oscillations of steadily increasing frequency, explained by temporally increasing gap junction conductance. Epilepsia 2012, 53(7), 1205-1214.
• Read JL, Whittaker RG, Miller N, Clark S, Taylor R, McFarland R, Turnbull D. Prevalence and severity of speech and swallowing difficulties in mitochondrial disease. International Journal Language Communication Disorders 2012, 47(1), 106-111.
• Basu AP, Bellis P, Whittaker RG, McKean M, Devlin A. Teaching NeuroImages: Alternating ptosis and Marcus Gunn jaw-winking phenomenon with PHOX2B mutation. Neurology 2012, 79(17), e153.
• Lavender T, Goldsmith P, Whittaker R, Schwab U. Botulism, recreational drug use revisited: inhalational poisoning or wound infection?: Category: Clinical Lesson. Journal of Infection 2011, 63(6), e117-e118.
• Romaniuk L, Turnbull DM, Whittaker RG. Hyperventilation during the EEG is safe in mitochondrial disease. Clinical Neurophysiology 2011, 122(6), 1270-1271.
• Whittaker RG, Turnbull DM, Whittington MA, Cunningham MO. Impaired mitochondrial function abolishes gamma oscillations in the hippocampus through an effect on fast-spiking interneurons. Brain 2011, 134(7), e180.
• Nesbitt V, Whittaker R, Turnbull D, McFarland R, Taylor R. mtDNA disease for the neurologist. Future Neurology 2011, 6(1), 63-80.
• Baker MR, Fisher KM, Whittaker RG, Griffiths PG, Yu-Wai-Man P, Chinnery PF. Subclinical multisystem neurologic disease in "pure" OPA1 autosomal dominant optic atrophy. Neurology 2011, 77(13), 1309-1312.