Wikipedia

Thushara Perera

Thushara Perera is an Australian engineer and data scientist at Deep Brain Stimulation Technologies, P. L., and a honorary research fellow at the University of Melbourne.[1][2] He has contributed to a wide range of medical specialities including neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, audiology, anaesthesia, and paediatrics.[3]

Thushara Perera
NationalitySri Lankan
CitizenshipAustralian
Alma materLa Trobe University
Known forThe invention of medical devices to quantify symptoms of Parkinson's disease
Scientific career
FieldsNeurology, Neurosurgery, Deep Brain Stimulation, Movement Disorders, Parkinson's disease
InstitutionsDeep Brain Stimulation Technologies, Bionics Institute, Royal Children's Hospital
Thesis Measurement of brain activation in anaesthetised children using near-infrared spectroscopy  (2013)

Education

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Work

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In 2009, Perera redesigned an ageing free-field audiometer for the Royal Children's Hospital. This audiometer used common sound effects as stimuli instead of the conventional pure or warble tones. Perera was responsible for implementing real-time audio filtering and automating the device calibration.[6]

Perera joined the Bionics Institute in 2012 and developed software for a visual prosthesis (Bionic Eye) manufactured for clinical trials by Bionic Vision Australia.[7][8][9] Three people with vision loss had the prosthesis implanted and the software was successfully used to collect information about the perception of electrically-stimulated vision.[8][10]

Perera's focus then shifted to movement disorders research with an emphasis on quantifying symptoms of Parkinson's disease. He has devised techniques to measure tremor[11], bradykinesia[12], postural instability[13], gait freezing[14], and rigidity[15]. Often, these techniques rely on commercially available motion tracking systems such as the Leap Motion controller. Perera's invention[16] of the electromechanical palm-worn rigidity instrument (BiRD) was able to distinguish between people with and without Parkinson's disease giving it potential diagnostic utility.[17][18]

Under the direction of Professor Hugh McDermott, Perera contributed towards the discovery of Evoked Resonant Neural Activity (ERNA) in 2018.[19][20][21] Recorded from deep brain stimulation electrodes, ERNA has potential applications in neurosurgical guidance and optimisation of postoperative treatment.[22] Perera's specific contribution was the analysis of neuroimaging data to determine the precise location of implanted electrodes with respect to neural structures.[23][24]

Published works

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As of 11 September 2024, Perera has authored or co-authored 30 peer-reviewed journal articles indexed by PubMed.[3] A selection of notable works are tabulated below.

Notable Publications
Title Type Description
Balance control systems in Parkinson’s disease and the impact of pedunculopontine area stimulation[25] Journal Article Explores the application of mathematical control models (intermittent and continuous) to quantify balance impairment of people with Parkinson's disease. The significance of this article to the field was highlighted in a prefacing scientific commentary.[26]
Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation, Chapter 5. DBS imaging methods I: Preprocessing[27] Book Chapter This invited contribution to a neuroscience book examines image processing techniques applicable to MRI and CT brain scans to ensure accurate localisation of deep brain stimulation electrodes relative to surrounding anatomy.[28]
Lead-DBS v2: Towards a comprehensive pipeline for deep brain stimulation imaging[29] Journal Article Describes the features of the open-source neuroimaging analysis software Lead-DBS. The article is the culmination of a multi-institutional collaborative effort to develop software to aid deep brain stimulation research.
An Ambulatory Tremor Score for Parkinson's Disease[30] Journal Article Outlines a method to detect hand tremor and its severity from a wristwatch-like wearable device while people with Parkinson's disease perform unrestricted activities of daily living. The wearable device was commercialised by Global Kinetics Corporation and sold as the Personal KinetiGraph (PKG).[31]

Recognition

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  • 2004 recipient of the Wanda Henry Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship, La Trobe University[9]
  • 2004-2006 named on the Dean's Honours List (students with an average overall grade of 80% or greater during the year), La Trobe University[9]
  • 2007 recipient of the Best Poster Presentation Prize at the Hooper Memorial Research Presentations, La Trobe University[9]
  • 2008 recipient of the Tad Szental Prize in Electronic Engineering (awarded to the overall best electronic engineering graduate), La Trobe University[9]
  • 2009 recipient of the Australian Postgraduate Awards ($20,427 p.a. for 3 years)[9]
  • 2015 recipient of the Harold Mitchell Travelling Fellowship[32]
  • 2016 recipient of a Victoria Fellowship in Life Sciences ($18,000)[33][34]
  • 2017 recipient of the Leadership in Innovation & Research Translation award, Sri Lankan Study Centre for the Advancement of Technology & Social Welfare[32]
  • 2017 finalist for the Emerging Health Researcher Award ($5,000), Bupa Health Foundation[35][36]
  • 2019 named AMP Tomorrow Maker ($50,000), AMP’s Tomorrow Fund[37]

References

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  1. ^ "DBS Tech". Deep Brain Stimulation Technologies Pty. Ltd. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Dr Thushara Perera: Find an Expert". The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Thushara Perera: PubMed". NIH National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  4. ^ Perera, Thushara (19 January 2023). Measurement of brain activation in anaesthetised children using near-infrared spectroscopy. Open at La Trobe (Thesis). doi:10.26181/21845688.v1. Retrieved 11 September 2024.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b Richardson, Paul (11 February 2009). "Award of Degrees and Diplomas" (PDF). La Trobe University Academic Board. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  6. ^ Perera, Thushara; Taunton, Peter; Poulis, Christine (12 November 2009). "Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine & the Australian Biomedical Engineering College Conference" (PDF). Epsm-Abec 2009. 33: 77. doi:10.1007/s13246-010-0012-x – via Springer.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Dr Thushara Perera". Bionics Institute. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Bionic Vision Australia Annual Report 2012". Issuu. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Peppard, Richard (28 February 2014). "Biographical Sketch: Thushara Perera" (PDF). International Essential Tremor Foundation. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  10. ^ Sinclair, Nicholas C.; Shivdasani, Mohit N.; Perera, Thushara; Gillespie, Lisa N.; McDermott, Hugh J.; Ayton, Lauren N.; Blamey, Peter J.; Bionic Vision Australia Consortium (1 September 2016). "The Appearance of Phosphenes Elicited Using a Suprachoroidal Retinal Prosthesis". Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 57 (11): 4948–4961. doi:10.1167/iovs.15-18991. ISSN 1552-5783. PMID 27654422.
  11. ^ Perera, Thushara; Yohanandan, Shivanthan A. C.; Thevathasan, Wesley; Jones, Mary; Peppard, Richard; Evans, Andrew H.; Tan, Joy L.; McKay, Colette M.; McDermott, Hugh J. (September 2016). "Clinical validation of a precision electromagnetic tremor measurement system in participants receiving deep brain stimulation for essential tremor". Physiological Measurement. 37 (9): 1516–1527. Bibcode:2016PhyM...37.1516P. doi:10.1088/0967-3334/37/9/1516. ISSN 1361-6579. PMID 27511464.
  12. ^ Lee, Wee Lih; Sinclair, Nicholas C.; Jones, Mary; Tan, Joy L.; Proud, Elizabeth L.; Peppard, Richard; McDermott, Hugh J.; Perera, Thushara (1 February 2019). "Objective evaluation of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease using an inexpensive marker-less motion tracking system". Physiological Measurement. 40 (1): 014004. Bibcode:2019PhyM...40a4004L. doi:10.1088/1361-6579/aafef2. ISSN 1361-6579. PMID 30650391.
  13. ^ JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) (23 February 2023). Instrumented Pull Test To Characterize Postural Responses l Protocol Preview. Retrieved 10 September 2024 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "Improving walking disorders in Parkinson's patients using cueing". Brain Foundation. 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  15. ^ Perera, Thushara; Lee, Wee-Lih; Jones, Mary; Tan, Joy L.; Proud, Elizabeth L.; Begg, Angus; Sinclair, Nicholas C.; Peppard, Richard; McDermott, Hugh J. (1 April 2019). "A palm-worn device to quantify rigidity in Parkinson's disease". Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 317: 113–120. doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.02.006. ISSN 1872-678X. PMID 30776378.
  16. ^ EP3787501A1, Perera, Thushara; Sinclair, Nicholas & Begg, David Angus, "Systems and methods for characterisation of joints", issued 2021-03-10 
  17. ^ "Giving Parkinson's 'The Bird'". www.9news.com.au. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  18. ^ Coxworth, Ben (10 April 2019). "Motorized finger-bender designed to detect Parkinson's disease". New Atlas. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  19. ^ O'Connell, Brigid (5 May 2018). "Parkinson's surgery fears put to rest". Herald Sun. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 11 September 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Perera, Thushara [@tpbionic] (5 May 2018). "Our work has been featured @theheraldsun many thanks to @BrigidOConnell and Geoff Wilkinson" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 September 2024 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ US11278726B2, SINCLAIR, Nicholas; McDermott, Hugh & Fallon, James et al., "Systems and methods for monitoring neural activity", issued 2022-03-22 
  22. ^ Sinclair, Nicholas C.; McDermott, Hugh J.; Lee, Wee-Lih; Xu, San San; Acevedo, Nicola; Begg, Angus; Perera, Thushara; Thevathasan, Wesley; Bulluss, Kristian J. (1 August 2022). "Electrically evoked and spontaneous neural activity in the subthalamic nucleus under general anesthesia". Journal of Neurosurgery. 137 (2): 449–458. doi:10.3171/2021.8.JNS204225. ISSN 1933-0693. PMID 34891136.
  23. ^ Tonroe, Thomas; McDermott, Hugh; Pearce, Patrick; Acevedo, Nicola; Thevathasan, Wesley; Xu, San San; Bulluss, Kristian; Perera, Thushara (2023). "Anatomical targeting for electrode localization in subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation: A comparative study". Journal of Neuroimaging: Official Journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging. 33 (5): 792–801. doi:10.1111/jon.13133. ISSN 1552-6569. PMC 10946722. PMID 37288952.
  24. ^ Begg, Angus; Louey, Melissa G. Y.; Pearce, Patrick; Bulluss, Kristian; Thevathasan, Wesley; McDermott, Hugh J.; Perera, Thushara (July 2023). "Evaluation of the PaCER Algorithm for Postoperative Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation Electrode Localization *". 2023 45th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (EMBC). Vol. 2023. pp. 1–4. doi:10.1109/EMBC40787.2023.10340555. ISBN 979-8-3503-2447-1. ISSN 2694-0604. PMID 38083396.
  25. ^ Perera, Thushara; Tan, Joy L.; Cole, Michael H.; Yohanandan, Shivy A. C.; Silberstein, Paul; Cook, Raymond; Peppard, Richard; Aziz, Tipu; Coyne, Terry; Brown, Peter; Silburn, Peter A.; Thevathasan, Wesley (1 October 2018). "Balance control systems in Parkinson's disease and the impact of pedunculopontine area stimulation". Brain: A Journal of Neurology. 141 (10): 3009–3022. doi:10.1093/brain/awy216. ISSN 1460-2156. PMC 6158752. PMID 30165427.
  26. ^ Xiang, Min; Glasauer, Stefan; Seemungal, Barry M. (1 October 2018). "Quantitative postural models as biomarkers of balance in Parkinson's disease". Brain: A Journal of Neurology. 141 (10): 2824–2827. doi:10.1093/brain/awy250. ISSN 1460-2156. PMC 6158586. PMID 31367748.
  27. ^ Horn, Andreas (10 September 2021). Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-821862-4.
  28. ^ Perera, Thushara [@tpbionic] (16 March 2021). "Huge thanks to @andreashorn_ for driving this forward. It was my pleasure to contribute a chapter" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 September 2024 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Horn, Andreas; Li, Ningfei; Dembek, Till A; Kappel, Ari; Boulay, Chadwick; Ewert, Siobhan; Tietze, Anna; Husch, Andreas; Perera, Thushara; Neumann, Wolf-Julian; Reisert, Marco; Si, Hang; Oostenveld, Robert; Rorden, Christopher; Yeh, Fang-Cheng (1 January 2019). "Lead-DBS v2: Towards a comprehensive pipeline for deep brain stimulation imaging". NeuroImage. 184: 293–316. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.068. ISSN 1053-8119. PMC 6286150. PMID 30179717.
  30. ^ Braybrook, Michelle; O'Connor, Sam; Churchward, Philip; Perera, Thushara; Farzanehfar, Parisa; Horne, Malcolm (19 October 2016). "An Ambulatory Tremor Score for Parkinson's Disease". Journal of Parkinson's Disease. 6 (4): 723–731. doi:10.3233/JPD-160898. ISSN 1877-718X. PMID 27589540.
  31. ^ "Clinical Evidence". PKG Health. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  32. ^ a b Perera, Thushara. "Thushara Perera". LinkedIn. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  33. ^ "Victoria Prize for Science & Innovation" (PDF). veski Victoria State Government. 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  34. ^ "Victoria's Top Scientists Honoured". Premier of Victoria. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  35. ^ Crush, Stephanie (14 February 2018). "Bupa Health Foundation recognises future leaders in health and medical research". Bupa. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  36. ^ Crush, Stephanie (17 March 2018). "Researcher focused on reducing the threat of antibiotic resistance wins Bupa Health Foundation Award". Bupa. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  37. ^ "Thushara Perera". AMP Foundation. 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
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