My clinical interests embody the full sphere of functional neurosurgery including movement disorders, pain, and epilepsy. I have pursued multiple fellowships both at home (St George’s Hospital) and abroad (Montpellier, France; Vancouver, Canada) to establish expertise in these areas while complimenting comprehensive neurosurgery training in Cambridge.
Maximising benefit and minimising harm in functional neurosurgery are the overarching background themes to my academic pursuits. I leverage cutting-edge neuroimaging methods (ultra-high field 7T MRI, connectomics) to understand both disease mechanisms (thalamic sensori-motor dysintegration) and novel treatment targets (tractography-based stimulation).
Translating technological advances to improved patient care is effected through judicious industry collaborations. My work leverages consultancy agreements for cell delivery in movement disorders (Novo Nordisk) and epilepsy (uniQure), leading trials on novel electrode design (Boston Scientific Inc), and app development for surgical planning (NetSym®) and accuracy appraisal.
Overall, my aim is to provide a wide-ranging clinical and academic practice in functional neurosurgery that allows patients to benefit from the latest clinical advances, research discoveries, and technological innovations.
I studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh where I intercalated in Physiology. I subsequently undertook my Foundation Training in the East of Scotland before moving to Bristol for a 1 year position in neurosurgery and neurology. In 2009 I commenced specialist training in neurosurgery based in Cambridge. During this time I took time out of programme to complete a PhD on connectomics in the Department of Psychiatry. To round off my training I completed fellowships in awake brain surgery (Professor Duffau, Montpellier), functional neurosurgery (Professor Honey, Vancouver), and neuromodulation (Mr Pereira, St George's Hospital, London).
My current affiliations include:
Fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCSEd)
Associate of The Higher Education Academy (AHEA)
European Association of Neurological Surgeons (EANS): Functional Committee
British Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (BSSFN): Research & Governance lead (commencing 2023)
My research interests are in neuroimaging and functional brain mapping. Initially I worked in neuro-oncology where I used connectomics to understand brain plasticity. Following this I led the project Connectomics and Electrical Stimulation for Augmenting Resection where we integrated neuroimaging analyses with awake brain mapping and electrocorticography (ECoG) to better map brain function in people with low grade gliomas. Latterly we used big data analyses and genetics to better understand the origin of gliomas. Most of these techniques I learnt during my PhD where I worked on adolescent brain development and mechanisms of plasticity.
Subsequently I translated these methods to the field of functional neurosurgery and specifically deep brain stimulation. Here we leverage ultra-high field imaging with 7 Tesla MRI to better understand our targeting and maximise the benefits of surgery. Additionally we combine this with tractography and resting-state functional MRI to map distant connectivity effects of focal stimulation. This work is funded by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Finally, I work closely with colleagues in the movement disorders team. Collaborations include understanding biomarkers impulsive behaviour, mechanisms of non-invasive stimulation for tremor, and novel targeting for dystonia. Additionally, our team has a close collaboration with the University of Oxford using externalised electrodes for local field potential recordings.
Romero-Garcia R, Mandal A, Bethlehem RAI, Crespo-Facorro B, Hart MG, Suckling J. Transcriptomic and connectomic correlates of differential spatial patterning among glioblastomas and low-grade gliomas. Brain, in press
Hayley J, Hart MG, Mostofi A, Pereira EAC. No Adverse Effects following Off-Label Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Patient with Two Deep Brain Stimulation Systems: A Case Report. Stereotact Funct Neurosurgery, July 2022, DOI: 10.1159/000525538
Hart MG, Posa M, Buttery P, Morris RC. Increased variance in second electrode accuracy during deep brain stimulation and its relationship to pneumocephalus, brain shift, and clinical outcomes: a retrospective cohort study. Brain and Spine, March 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bas.2022.100893
Romero-Garcia R, Owen M, McDonald A, Woodberry E, Assem M, Coelho P, Morris RC, Price SJ, Santarius T, Suckling J, Manly T, Erez Y, Hart MG. Assessment of neuro-psychological function in brain tumour treatment: a comparison of traditional neuropsychological assessment with app-based cognitive screening. Acta Neurochir, February 2022, DOI: 10.1007/s00701-022-05162-5
Mandal AS, Romero-Garcia R, Seidlitz J, Hart MG, Alexander-Bloch A, Suckling J. Lesion covariance networks reveal proposed origins and pathways of diffuse gliomas. Brain Commun 2021 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab289
Romero-Garcia, R., Hart, M. G., Bethlehem, R., Mandal, A., Assem, M., Crespo-Facorro, B., Gorriz, J. M., et al. (2021). BOLD Coupling between Lesioned and Healthy Brain Is Associated with Glioma Patients' Recovery. Cancers2021 https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13195008
Romero-Garcia, Suckling J, Owen M, Assem M, Coelho P, McDonald A, Woodberry E, Price SJ, Burke AGA, Santarius T, Erez Y, Hart MG. Memory recovery in relation to default mode network impairment and neurite density during brain tumour treatment. J Neurosurg 2021 DOI: 10.3171/2021.1/JNS203959
Honey CM, Hart MG, Rammage LA, Morrison MD, Hu A, Honey CR. Thalamic deep brain stimulation ameliorates mixed and abductor spasmodic dysphonia: case reports and proof of concept. Neurosurgery Open 2021 DOI: 10.1093/neuopn/okab022
Mandal AS, Romero-Garcia R, Hart MG, Suckling J. Genetic, cellular, and connectomic characterization of the brain regions commonly plagued by glioma. Brain 2020 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa277
Erez Y, Assem M, Coelho P, Romero-Garcia R, Owen M, McDonald A, Woodberry E, Morris RC, Price SJ, Suckling J Duncan J, Hart MG, Santarius T. Intraoperative mapping of executive function using electrocorticography for patients with low grade glioma. Acta Neurochirur 2020 DOI: 10.1007/s00701-020-04646-6
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd)
Guys, Kings and St Thomas Trust (GSTT)
Innovate UK
National Institute for Health Research: Invention for Innovation (NIHR I4I)
St George's, University of London (SGUL)
Neurosciences Research Foundation (https://www.neurosciencesresearchfoundation.com)
Group members:
Mr Alex Alamri, Clinical Research Fellow and doctoral student in Neurosurgery
Mr Abteen Mostofi, NIHR Academy Clinical Lecturer in Neurosurgery
Mr Rahul Shah, NIHR Academy Clinical Lecturer in Neurosurgery
Ms Bryony Ishihara, Research Associate
SGUL Collaborators:
Broad collaborations with the movement disorders, epilepsy, and pain teams
Prof Francesca Morgante, Reader in Neurology
Dr Lucia Ricciardi, MRC Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Neurology
Prof Mark Edwards, Professor of Neurology
Prof Franklyn Howe, Professor of MR physics
Dr Tom Barrick, Reader in MR physics
External collaborators:
Prof Tipu Aziz University of Oxford
Prof Huiling Tan, University of Oxford
Prof David Carmichael, Kings College London
Dr Chris Honey, University of British Columbia
Dr Rafael Romero-Garcia, University of Seville
Dr Matt Brown, Royal Marsden Hospital
I have lectured on a wide range of topics in functional neurosurgery including movement disorders, pain, and epilepsy. I have delivered plenary talks on cancer pain and neuroimaging methods. Finally, I teach on general neurosurgery and am a college tutor for Advanced Trauma Life Support.
I currently offer supervision and projects at the following levels: Medicine SSC, MSc / MRes, MD(Res), PhD