Professional background

Dr Fergus Rugg-Gunn is a consultant neurologist and honorary associate professor at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Neurology, UCL. He qualified from St Thomas's Medical School, and completed general medical training in London and Oxford.

He subsequently obtained a PhD with the Epilepsy Group at The Institute of Neurology, Queen Square. Specialist training in neurology was undertaken in London and he became a consultant neurologist at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy in 2008.

He is clinical director for neurology at the National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, and clinical lead at Chalfont. Dr Rugg-Gunn is also a member of the UK chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy and member of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency expert committee for neurology, psychiatry and pain.

He is also a member of the Medicines Safety Committee at UCLH and Clinical Governance and Safety Committee at Queen Square.

Dr Rugg-Gunn holds out-patient clinics at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and Chalfont and is responsible for inpatients in the Sir William Gowers assessment and treatment unit at Chalfont.

Specialties

Research interests

  • Magnetoencephalography, in particular the localisation of epileptiform activity and neural synchrony
  • Advanced neuroimaging techniques
  • SUDEP and cardiac arrhythmias in epilepsy
     

Publications

Reducing the risk of SUDEP – from uncertainty to reality
Nashef L, Rugg-Gunn F
Neurology 2020, in press

An evaluation of the effectiveness of perampanel in people with epilepsy who have previously undergone resective surgery and/or implantation of a vagal nerve stimulator
Jones GD, Stavropoulos I, Ibrahim K, Tristram M, Neale M, Jory C, Esposito M, Hamandi K, Shankar R, Rugg-Gunn F, Elwes R, Sen A (submitted, 2020)

Prognostic model for antiepileptic drug withdrawal following epilepsy surgery in adults.
Ferreira-Atuesta C, de Tisi J, McEvoy AW, Miserocchi A, Rugg-Gunn FJ, Duncan JS, Koepp M, Galovic M (submitted, 2020)

The use of simultaneous SEEG and MEG in localising seizure onset zone.
Vivekananda U; Cao C; Liu W; Zhang J, Rugg-Gunn F, Walker M, Litvak V, Sun B, Zhan S. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology (submitted, 2020).

Lessons from history - better late than never: epilepsy genetics in clinical practice.
Silvennoinen K, Custodio HM, Balestrini S, Rugg-Gunn F , Genomics England Research Consortium*, Sisodiya SM. Practical Neurology, 2020. In press

Removal of interictal MEG-derived network hubs is associated with postoperative seizure freedom.
Ramaraju S, Wang Y, Sinha N, McEvoy AW, Miserocchi A, de Tisi J, Duncan JS, Rugg-Gunn F, Taylor PN. Frontiers of Neurology, 2020. In press

Moyamoya and progressive myoclonic epilepsy secondary to CLN6 bi-allelic mutations – a previously unreported association.
Talbot J, Singha P, Genomics England Research Consortium, Sisodiya SM, Rugg-Gunn F. Epilepsy and Behaviour. 2020. In press

Cognitive behavioural therapy for adults with dissociative seizures (CODES): a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial.
Goldstein LH. et al.
Lancet Psychiatry. 2020 Jun;7(6):491-505

Psychological and demographic characteristics of 368 patients with dissociative seizures: data from the CODES cohort.
Goldstein LH, et al.
Psychol Med. 2020 May 11:1-13.

Characteristics of 698 patients with dissociative seizures: A UK multicenter study.
Goldstein LH et al.
Epilepsia. 2019 Oct 13

The role of devices in managing risk in epilepsy.
Rugg-Gunn F.
Epilepsy & Behaviour 2019 Aug 17:106456

Epilepsy Surgery.
Rugg-Gunn F, Miserocchi A, McEvoy AW.
Pract Neurol 2019 Aug 16

Neuropsychological outcomes following traumatic brain injury.
Baxendale S, Heaney D, Rugg-Gunn F, Friedland D.
Pract Neurol. 2019 Jun 13.

Diagnostic accuracy of interictal source imaging in presurgical epilepsy evaluation: A systematic review from the E-PILEPSY consortium.
Mouthaan BE et al.
Clin Neurophysiol. 2019 May;130(5):845-855.

Bitemporal seizure spread and its effect on autonomic dysfunction.
Page T, Rugg-Gunn FJ.
Epilepsy Behav. 2018 Jul;84:166-172.

Rugg-Gunn F, Duncan JS, Hjalgrim H, Seyal M, Bateman L
SUDEP: From unwitnessed fatality to witnessed rescue: non-pharmacological interventions
Epilepsia. 2016 in press

Wu Z, Rugg-Gunn F
Breathing difficulty in a middle-aged woman - a dangerous cause?
JRSM Open. 2015 Jan 19;6(1):2054270414554246

Rugg-Gunn F.
Adverse effects and safety profile of perampanel: a review of pooled data.
Epilepsia. 2014 Jan;55 Suppl 1:13-5.

Zaccara G, Sisodiya SM, Giovannelli F, Walker MC, Heaney DC, Angus-Leppan H, Wehner T, Eriksson SH, Liu R, Rugg-Gunn F, Shorvon SD, Sander JW.
Network meta-analysis and the comparison of efficacy and tolerability of anti-epileptic drugs for treatment of refractory focal epilepsy.
Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2013 Nov;76(5):827-8.

Rugg-Gunn FJ, Sander JW.
Management of chronic epilepsy.
BMJ. 2012 Jul17;345:e4576

Selikhova M., Scott C., Guekht A., Silva M., Walker M., Rugg-Gunn, F
Hand biting and hand waving paroxysms in epilepsy
BMJ Case Rep. 2012 Jul 19;2012

Kovac S, Scott C, Rugg-Gunn F, Miserocchi A, Vollmar C, Rodionov R, McEvoy A, Diehl B.
Unusual cortical stimulation findings: Connectivity between primary motor and supplementary motor areas.
Epilepsy Behav. 2010 Dec;19(4):639-42.

M Centeno, M Feldmann, NA Harrison, F Rugg-Gunn, U Chaudhary, C Falcon, L Lemieux, SJM Smith, SM Sisodiya
Epilepsy causing pupillary hippus: an unusual semiology.
Epilepsia. 2011 Aug;52(8):e93-6

Saifee TA, Reilly M, Ako E, Rugg-Gunn F, Brandner S, Lunn M, Leary S.
Sarcoidosis presenting as an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy
Muscle Nerve 2011 Feb;43(2):296-8

Rugg-Gunn F, Holdright D.
Epilepsy and the Heart.
British Journal of Cardiology 2010 Sept/Oct; 17(5): 223-229

Cashdollar N, Malecki U, Rugg-Gunn FJ, Duncan JS, Lavie N, Duzel E.
Hippocampally dependent and independent theta networks in human working memory
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Dec 1;106(48):20493-8

Neligan A, Holdright DR, Rugg-Gunn FJ, Sander JWAS
A Case of Mistaken Mesial Temporal Identity
BMJ. 2009 Jun 23;338:b2258

Rugg-Gunn FJ
Magnetoencephalography – Current Use and Future Applications
Advances in Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation 2007:7;4:14-18

Rugg-Gunn FJ
Diffusion imaging in epilepsy.
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics 2007 Aug;7(8):1043-54

Salmenpera T, Symms M, Rugg-Gunn FJ, Boulby PA, Free SL, Barker GJ, Yousry T, Duncan JS
Imaging the neocortex in epilepsy with advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques
Epilepsia 2007 Feb;48(2):229-37.

Rugg-Gunn FJ, Boulby P, Symms M, Barker G, Duncan JS.
Imaging the neocortex in epilepsy using double inversion recovery imaging.
Neuroimage. 2006 May 15;31(1):39-50

Rugg-Gunn FJ, Simister RJ, Squirrell M, Holdright DR, Duncan JS.
Cardiac arrhythmias in focal epilepsy: a prospective long-term study.
Lancet. 2004; 364: 2212-19.

Rugg-Gunn FJ, Boulby PA, Symms MR, Barker GJ, Duncan JS.
Whole brain T2 mapping demonstrates occult abnormalities in focal epilepsy.
Neurology. 2005 Jan;64(2).

Rugg-Gunn FJ, Eriksson SH, Boulby PA, Symms MR, Barker GJ, Duncan JS.
Magnetization transfer imaging in focal epilepsy.
Neurology. 2003 May 27;60(10):1638-1645.

Eriksson SH, Symms MR, Rugg-Gunn FJ, Boulby PA, Wheeler-Kingshott CA, Barker GJ, Duncan JS, Parker GJ.
Exploring white matter tracts in band heterotopia using diffusion tractography.
Ann Neurol. 2002 Sep;52(3):327-34.

Rugg-Gunn FJ, Eriksson SH, Symms MR, Barker GJ, Thom M, Harkness W, Duncan JS.
Diffusion tensor imaging in refractory epilepsy.
Lancet. 2002 May 18;359(9319):1748-51.

Rugg-Gunn FJ
Clinical applications of diffusion tensor imaging in epilepsy
Epilepsia. 2002 Jan; vol 43, suppl 1, 69-77.

Taber KH, Pierpaoli C, Rose SE, Rugg-Gunn FJ, Chalk JB, Jones DK, Hurley RA.
The future for diffusion tensor imaging in neuropsychiatry.
J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2002 Winter;14(1):1-5.

Rugg-Gunn FJ, Symms MR, Barker GJ, Greenwood R, Duncan JS.
Diffusion imaging shows abnormalities after blunt head trauma when conventional magnetic resonance imaging is normal.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2001 Apr;70(4):530-3.

Rugg-Gunn FJ, Harrison NA, Duncan JS.
Evaluation of the accuracy of seizure descriptions by the relatives of patients with epilepsy.
Epilepsy Res. 2001 Mar;43(3):193-9.

Rugg-Gunn FJ, Eriksson SH, Symms MR, Barker GJ, Duncan JS.
Diffusion tensor imaging of cryptogenic and acquired partial epilepsies.
Brain. 2001 Mar;124(Pt 3):627-36.

Eriksson SH, Rugg-Gunn FJ, Symms MR, Barker GJ, Duncan JS.
Diffusion tensor imaging in patients with epilepsy and malformations of cortical development.
Brain. 2001 Mar;124(Pt 3):617-26.

Rugg-Gunn FJ, Duncan JS, Smith SJ.
Epileptic cardiac asystole.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2000 Jan;68(1):108-10.