Staff Profile

I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Iceland and an MRes degree in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience specialising in Neuropsychology from Maastricht University in the Netherlands. I was then awarded the Vice Chancellor’s International Scholarship for Research Excellence to complete my PhD studies at the University of Nottingham. In 2019 I moved to Newcastle to work as a research associate with the Brain and Movement (BAM) Research Group at the Translational and Clinical Research Institute.My primary research interests are in the understanding of neural control of the human motor system and how this is altered in movement disorders (particularly Parkinson's) using advanced neuroimaging techniques.

Links: Google scholar | Twitter | ResearchGate

I joined the Brain and Movement group in March 2019 working with Profs. Lynn Rochester and Alison Yarnall. My work involves developing novel stepped protocols to dynamically track changes in FDG metabolism to differentiate gait related brain activity from postural control using Positron Emission Tomography [PET]/MRI. Furthermore, I will attempt to investigate the interaction of FDG-PET activation with structural and functional connectivity networks to ascertain mechanisms underpinning any age or disease related changes. At present I am investigating a novel neuromodulation tool that stimulates the cholinergic vagus nerve to improve gait and cognitive function in people with Parkinson's.

• Articles

  • Sigurdsson HP, Alcock L, Firbank M, Wilson R, Brown P, Maxwell R, Bennett E, Pavese N, Brooks DJ, Rochester L. Developing a novel dual-injection FDG-PET imaging methodology to study the functional neuroanatomy of gait. NeuroImage 2024, 288, 120531.
  • Sigurdsson HP, Hunter H, Alcock L, Wilson R, Pienaar I, Want E, Baker MR, Taylor J-P, Rochester L, Yarnall AJ. Safety and tolerability of adjunct non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation in people with parkinson's: a study protocol. BMC Neurology 2023, 23(1), 58.
  • Sigurdsson HP, Yarnall AJ, Galna B, Lord S, Alcock L, Lawson RA, Colloby SJ, Firbank MJ, Taylor JP, Pavese N, Brooks DJ, O'Brien JT, Burn DJ, Rochester L. Gait-related metabolic covariance networks at rest in Parkinson’s disease. Movement Disorders 2022, 37(6), 1222-1234.
  • Ray NH, Lawson RA, Martin SL, Sigurdsson HP, Wilson J, Galna B, Lord S, Alcock L, Duncan GW, Khoo TK, O'Brien JT, Burn DJ, Taylor JP, Rea R, Bergamino M, Rochester L, Yarnall AJ. Free-water imaging of the cholinergic basal forebrain and pedunculopontine nucleus in Parkinson’s disease. Brain 2022, 146(3), 1053–1064.
  • Jackson SR, Sigurdsson HP, Dyke K, Condon M, Jackson GM. The role of the cingulate cortex in the generation of motor tics and the experience of the premonitory urge-to-tic in Tourette syndrome. Journal of Neuropsychology 2021, 15(3), 340-362.
  • Dyke K, Pépés SE, Babourina-Brooks Ben, Chen C, Kim S, Sigurdsson HP, Draper A, Husain M, Nachev P, Gowland P, Morris PG, Jackson SR. Acute gabapentin administration in healthy adults. A double-blind placebo-controlled study using transcranial magnetic stimulation and 7T ¹H-MRS. Neuroimage: Reports 2021, 1(1), 100003.
  • Jackson SR, Loayza J, Crighton M, Sigurdsson HP, Dyke K, Jackson GM. The role of the insula in the generation of motor tics and the experience of the premonitory urge-to-tic in Tourette syndrome. Cortex 2020, 126, 119-133.
  • Morera Maiquez, B, Sigurdsson, HP, Dyke, K, Clarke, E, McGrath, P, Pasche, M, Rajendran, A, Jackson, GM, Jackson, SR. Entraining Movement-Related Brain Oscillations to Suppress Tics in Tourette Syndrome. Current Biology 2024, 30(12), 2334-2342. In Preparation.
  • Sigurdsson, HP, Jackson, SR, Jolley, L, Mitchell, E, Jackson, GM. Alterations in cerebellar grey matter structure and covariance networks in young people with Tourette syndrome. Cortex 2020, 126.
  • Sigurdsson, HP, Jackson, SR, Kim, S, Dyke, K, Jackson, GM. A feasibility study for somatomotor cortical mapping in Tourette syndrome using neuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulation. Cirtex 2020, 129, 175-187. In Preparation.
  • Sigurdsson HP, Pépés SE, Jackson GM, Draper A, Morgan PS, Jackson SR. Alterations in the microstructure of white matter in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome measured using tract-based spatial statistics and probabilistic tractography. Cortex 2018, 104, 75-89.
  • Dyke, K, Pépés, SE, Chen, C, Kim, S, Sigurdsson, HP, Draper, A, Husain, M, Nachev, P, Gowland, PA, Morris, PG, Jackson, SR. Comparing GABA-dependent physiological measures of inhibition with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurement of GABA using ultra-high-field MRI. Neuroimage 2017, 15, 360-370.
  • Chen C, Sigurdsson HP, Pépés SE, Auer DP, Morris PG, Morgan PS, Gowland PA, Jackson SR. Activation induced changes in GABA: functional MRS at 7 T with MEGA-sLASER. NeuroImage 2017, 156, 207-213.
  • Sigurdsson HP, Hefner G, Ben-Omar N, Köstlbacher A, Wenzel-Seifert K, Hiemke C, Haen E. Steady-state serum concentrations of venlafaxine in patients with late-life depression. Impact of age, sex and BMI. Journal of Neural Transmission 2015, 122(5), 721-729.
  • Hefner, G, Laib, AK, Sigurdsson, H, Hohner, M, Hiemke, C. The value of drug and metabolite concentration in blood as a biomarker of psychopharmacological therapy. International Review of Psychiatry 2013, 25(5), 494-508.

• Review

  • Sigurdsson HP, Raw R, Hunter H, Baker MR, Taylor J-P, Rochester L, Yarnall AJ. Noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation in Parkinson’s disease: current status and future prospects. Expert Review of Medical Devices 2021, 18(10), 971-984.