EEG Monitoring

The Frasch Lab focuses on fetal EEG monitoring during labor to predict severe acidemia and prevent brain injury. Our research demonstrates that changes in fetal electrocortical activity can predict severe acidemia during labour with sufficient advance notice for clinical intervention.

Fetal Brain Monitoring

We developed an automated algorithm for unsupervised monitoring and detection of EEG-FHR pattern pathognomonic of adaptive brain shut-down as an early response to oxygen deprivation. This technology is undergoing clinical translation and validation.

Thalamocortical Communication

Using juvenile pig models, we demonstrated that cortico-cortical EEG signals can measure thalamic gating under varying sedation levels, providing insights into brain communication pathways.

Key Publications

From the Frasch Lab

• Advancements in fetal heart rate monitoring: opportunities and strategic initiatives for better intrapartum care — BJOG, 2025
• Update to the dataset of cerebral ischemia in juvenile pigs with evoked potentials — Frasch et al., Scientific Data, 2021
• Multimodal pathophysiological dataset of cerebral ischemia in juvenile pigs — Frasch et al., Scientific Data, 2021
• Fetal brain monitoring during labour — Castel et al., Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2020
• Fetal EEG monitoring review — arXiv preprint, 2020
• Clinical trial: Intrapartum fetal EEG monitoring — ClinicalTrials.gov, 2017
• Fetal EEG and heart rate variability analysis — Frasch et al., Physiological Reports, 2015
• US Patent US9215999B2: Fetal brain monitoring system — Richardson & Frasch, 2015
• Adaptive brain shut-down counteracting neuroinflammation — Xu et al., Frontiers in Neurology, 2014
• AMPK activation and fetal brain protection — Frasch, Frontiers in Neurology, 2014
• Online detection of fetal acidemia via EEG-heart rate synchronization — Wang et al., PLoS ONE, 2014
• Monitoring fetal electrocortical activity during labour — Frasch et al., PLoS ONE, 2011
• Thalamocortical communication under sedation — Frasch, Clinical Neurophysiology, 2007

Supporting Research from the Field

• Pre-existing hypoxia is associated with greater EEG suppression and early onset of evolving seizure activity during brief repeated asphyxia in near-term fetal sheep — Wassink, Bennet, Davidson, Westgate & Gunn, PLoS One, 2013
• The free-energy principle: a unified brain theory? — Friston, Nat Rev Neurosci, 2010
• Continuous brain-function monitoring: state of the art in clinical practice — Hellström-Westas & Rosén, Semin Fetal Neonatal Med, 2006
• The cardiovascular and cerebrovascular responses of the immature fetal sheep to acute umbilical cord occlusion — Bennet, Westgate, Liu, Wassink & Gunn, J Physiol, 1999
• Repeated episodes of umbilical cord occlusion in fetal sheep lead to preferential damage to the striatum and sensitize the heart to further insults — Mallard, Williams, Gunn, Gunning & Gluckman, Pediatr Res, 1995

Clinical Translation

We are actively translating these findings to clinical bedside use, with ongoing clinical trials registered for intrapartum fetal EEG monitoring.