Dr Tabish Saifee details
Telephone:
Email:
Location:
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
GMC/GDC number:
6079635
Professional background
Dr Tabish Saifee is a consultant neurologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.
At National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, he runs specialist outpatient and inpatient services in movement disorders, including dedicated clinics in tremor, dystonia, Parkinson’s disease and botulinum toxin treatment for movement disorders. He is also the departmental clinical lead for audit.
At London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, he is clinical director for neurology and neurophysiology, where he leads neurology services across three hospitals and provides specialist and general neurology care across the full spectrum of neurological disorders.
Dr Saifee qualified from University College London Medical School and completed higher specialist training in neurology through the NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship programme at National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
He was awarded a Doctoral Research Fellowship from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and completed a PhD at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, where his doctoral research focused on the clinical and pathophysiological mechanisms of tremor.
Dr Saifee has an active role in undergraduate and postgraduate neurology education and has received multiple teaching awards. He directs several national neurology courses, including the Queen Square PACES course and the Queen Square Leading Edge Neurology course.
He is a member of the Association of British Neurologists and the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society, and has served on the Movement Disorders Advisory Group of the Association of British Neurologists. He has advised National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death on national guidance, technology appraisals and audit in movement disorders.
Specialties
Research interests
Dr Saifee’s research focuses on movement disorders, particularly tremor, dystonia and Parkinson’s disease, spanning clinical phenomenology, neurophysiology, advanced therapeutics and interventional neurology.
He has published more than 65 peer-reviewed papers in international journals, with an H-index of 28, and has authored book chapters and invited reviews in movement disorders and clinical neurology. His work has focused particularly on tremor, dystonia, Parkinson’s disease, functional movement disorders and botulinum toxin therapeutics.
He is chief investigator and principal investigator for multiple commercial and investigator-led clinical studies in movement disorders and Parkinson’s disease, including clinical trials in digital assessment, and novel neuromodulation for movement disorders.
His current research interests include:
- Tremor phenomenology and neurophysiology
- Device-based and neuromodulatory therapies for tremor
- Parkinson’s disease therapeutics
- Botulinum toxin treatment in movement disorders
- Digital biomarkers and remote neurological assessment
Publications
- Xu SS, Akram H, Lind V, Hyam J, Davagnanam I, Korlipara P, Saifee TA, Foltynie T, Zrinzo L, Limousin P, Krüger MT. FAT1-weighted MRI-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy for essential tremor. BMJ Neurol Open. 2025 Jul 28;7(2):e001104.
- Becktepe JS, McDonald K, Müller S, Wilke T, Zhuleku E, Appiah K, Dzimitrowicz N, Marshall J, Sabater J, Barbato LM, Saifee TA.Epidemiology and treatment patterns of essential tremor: a retrospective cohort analysis in Germany. Front Neurol. 2025 Jul 2;16:1580919.
- Jesuthasan A, Natalwala A, Davagnanam I, Saifee T, Zrinzo L. Hemifacial spasm: an update on pathophysiology, investigations and management.J Neurol. 2025 Jul 10;272(8):502.
- Furlepa M, Astin R, Fishman J, Saifee T. Ventilation and tracheostomy insertion in anti-IgLON5 disease: A systematic review of cases. J Neurol Sci. 2025 May 15;472:123463.
- West TO, Steidel K, Flessner T, Calvano A, Kucukahmetler D, Stam MJ, Spedden ME, Wahl B, Jousmäki V, Eraifej J, Oswal A, Saifee TA, Barnes G, Farmer SF, Pedrosa DJ, Cagnan H. Essential tremor disrupts rhythmic brain networks during naturalistic movement. Neurobiol Dis. 2025 Apr;207:106858.
- Vogelnik K, Koritnik B, Leonardis L, Grošelj LD, Saifee TA, Zidar J, Kojović M. Correction: Shaky hands are a part of motor neuron disease phenotype: clinical and electrophysiological study of 77 patients. J Neurol. 2025 Jan 23;272(2):165. doi: 10.1007/s00415-025-12891-x.
- Towns C, Fang ZH, Tan MMX, Jasaityte S, Schmaderer TM, Stafford EJ, Pollard M, Tilney R, Hodgson M, Wu L, Labrum R, Hehir J, Polke J, Lange LM, Schapira AHV, Bhatia KP; Parkinson’s Families Project (PFP) Study Group; Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2); Singleton AB, Blauwendraat C, Klein C, Houlden H, Wood NW, Jarman PR, Morris HR, Real R.NP. Parkinson's families project: a UK-wide study of early onset and familial Parkinson's disease. J Parkinsons Dis. 2024 Oct 17;10(1):188.
- Rogers JP, Oldham MA, Fricchione G, Northoff G, Ellen Wilson J, Mann SC, Francis A, Wieck A, Elizabeth Wachtel L, Lewis G, Grover S, Hirjak D, Ahuja N, Zandi MS, Young AH, Fone K, Andrews S, Kessler D, Saifee T, Gee S, Baldwin DS, David AS. Evidence-based consensus guidelines for the management of catatonia: Recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. J Psychopharmacol. 2023 Apr;37(4):327-369
- Vogelnik K, Koritnik B, Leonardis L, Dolenc Grošelj L, Saifee TA, Zidar J, Kojović M.J. Shaky hands are a part of motor neuron disease phenotype: clinical and electrophysiological study of 77 patients. Neurol. 2022 Aug;269(8):4498-4509
- Vokurka P, Barron A, Sumaria S, Stockford L, Jarman P, Bhatia K, Farmer S, Saifee T, Warner T, Weil R, Gandhi S, Limousin P, Korlipara P, Foltynie T. Opicapone Efficacy and Tolerability in Parkinson's Disease Patients Reporting Insufficient Benefit/Failure of Entacapone. Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2020 Oct 21;7(8):955-960
- Sackley CM, Rick C, Au P, Brady MC, Beaton G, Burton C, Caulfield M, Dickson S, Dowling F, Hughes M, Ives N, Jowett S, Masterson-Algar P, Nicoll A, Patel S, Smith CH, Woolley R, Clarke CE; PD COMM Collaborative Group. A multicentre, randomised controlled trial to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment versus standard NHS Speech and Language Therapy versus control in Parkinson's disease: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2020 May 27;21(1):436
- Reichmann H, Lees A, Rocha JF, Magalhães D, Soares-da-Silva P; OPTIPARK investigators. Effectiveness and safety of opicapone in Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations: the OPTIPARK open-label study. Transl Neurodegener. 2020 Mar 4;9(1):9
- Saifee TA. Tremor. Br Med Bull. 2019 Jun 19;130(1):51-63.
- Campbell P, Kaski D, Saifee TA. Susac syndrome presenting with acute hemibody paraesthesia. JRSM Cardiovasc Dis. 2019 Apr 23;8.
- Kassavetis P, Sadnicka A, Saifee TA, Pareés I, Kojovic M, Bhatia KP, Rothwell JC, Edwards MJ. Reappraising the role of motor surround inhibition in dystonia. J Neurol Sci. 2018 Jul 15;390:178-183. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2018.04.015. Epub 2018 Apr 12.
- Saifee TA, Macerollo A. Jaw clonus in motor neuron disease: an interesting case and review of literature. Neurol Sci. 2018 May;39(5):949-950. doi: 10.1007/s10072-017-3216-y.
- Sriram N, Saifee TA. Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2017 Jul 2;78(7):C98-C102. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2017.78.7.C98.
- Saifee TA, Teodoro T, Erro R, Edwards MJ, Cordivari C. A Pilot Study of Botulinum Toxin for Jerky,
- Position-Specific, Upper Limb Action Tremor. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y). 2016 Sep 29;6:406.
- Sauerbier A, Macerollo A, Gyorfi O, Balicza P, Moarcas M, Papp V, Zis P, Klingelhoefer L, Saifee TA, Struhal W, Sellner J. Insufficient global health education in European neurological post-graduate training: an EAYNT survey. Eur J Neurology 2016 (in press).
- Schwingenschuh P, Saifee TA, Katschnig-Winter P, Macerollo A, Koegl-Wallner M, Culea V, Ghadery C, Hofer E, Pendl T, Seiler S, Werner U, Franthal S, Maurits NM, Tijssen MA, Schmidt R, Rothwell JC, Bhatia KP, Edwards MJ. Validation of "laboratory-supported" criteria for functional (psychogenic) tremor. Mov Disord. 2016 Apr;31(4):555-62.
- Saifee TA, Edwards MJ, Kassavetis P, Gilbertson T. Estimation of the phase response curve from Parkinsonian tremor. J Neurophysiol. 2016 Jan 1;115(1):310-23.
- Saifee TA, Pareés I, Kassavetis P, Kaski D, Bronstein AM, Rothwell JC, Sadnicka A, Lunn MP, Manji H, Teo JT, Bhatia KP, Reilly MM, Edwards MJ. Tremor in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: No evidence of cerebellar dysfunction. Clin Neurophysiol. 2015 Sep;126(9):1817-24.
- Brittain JS, Cagnan H, Mehta AR, Saifee TA, Edwards MJ, Brown P. Distinguishing the central drive to tremor in Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. J Neurosci. 2015 Jan 14;35(2):795-806.
- Saifee TA, Kaski D, Buckwell D, Bronstein AM. Tremor of the eyes in Parkinson's disease: merely a measure of the head movement. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2014 Dec;20(12):1447-8.
- Sadnicka A, Teo JT, Kojovic M, Pareés I, Saifee TA, Kassavetis P, Schwingenschuh P, Katschnig-Winter P, Stamelou M, Mencacci NE, Rothwell JC, Edwards MJ, Bhatia KP. All in the blink of an eye: new insight into cerebellar and brainstem function in DYT1 and DYT6 dystonia. Eur J Neurol. 2015 May;22(5):762-7.
- Erro R, Stamelou M, Saifee TA, Ganos C, Antelmi E, Balint B, Cordivari C, Bhatia KP. Facial tremor in dystonia. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2014 Aug;20(8):924-5.
- Sadnicka A, Patani B, Saifee TA, Kassavetis P, Pareés I, Korlipara P, Bhatia KP, Rothwell JC, Galea JM, Edwards MJ. Normal motor adaptation in cervical dystonia: a fundamental cerebellar computation is intact. Cerebellum. 2014 Oct;13(5):558-67.
- Kassavetis P, Sadnicka A, Saifee TA, Belvisi D, van den Bos M, Pareés I, Kojovic M, Rothwell JC, Edwards MJ. Motor 'surround inhibition' is not correlated with activity in surround muscles. Eur J Neurosci. 2014 Aug;40(3):2541-7.
- Ganos C, Saifee TA, Kassavetis P, Erro R, Batla A, Cordivari C, Bhatia KP. Dystonic Tremor and Spasmodic Dysphonia in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 12. Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2014 Apr 10;1(1):79-81.
- Pareés I, Kojovic M, Pires C, Rubio-Agusti I, Saifee TA, Sadnicka A, Kassavetis P, Macerollo A, Bhatia KP, Carson A, Stone J, Edwards MJ. Physical precipitating factors in functional movement disorders. J Neurol Sci. 2014 Mar 15;338(1-2):174-7.
- Macerollo A, Saifee TA, Kassavettis P, Schneider S, Pilurzi G, Bhatia KP. Geniospasm – a brainstem myoclonus. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice 2014.
- Ganos C, Saifee TA, Kassavetis P, Erro R, Batla A, Cordivari C, Bhatia KP. Dystonic tremor and spasmodic dysphonia in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 12. Mov Disord Clin Prac 2014.
- Erro R, Rubio-Agusti I, Saifee TA, Cordivari C, Ganos C, Batla A, Bhatia KP. Rest and other types of tremor in adult-onset primary dystonia. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2014 Sep;85(9):965-8.
- Parees I, Saifee TA, Edwards MJ. Reply: To PMID 23737007. Mov Disord. 2013 Nov;28(13):1907.
- Saifee TA, Burd CM, Koppel C. Prehospital thrombolysis in acute stroke: results of the PHANTOM-S pilot study. Neurology. 2013 Sep 3;81(10):938.
- Pallidal stimulation for cervical dystonia does not correct abnormal temporal discrimination. Sadnicka A, Kimmich O, Pisarek C, Ruge D, Galea J, Kassavetis P, Pareés I, Saifee T, Molloy A, Bradley D, O'Riordan S, Zrinzo L, Hariz M, Bhatia KP, Limousin P, Foltynie T, Rothwell JC, Hutchinson M, Edwards MJ. Mov Disord. 2013 Nov;28(13):1874-7.
- Roper LS, Saifee TA, Parees I, Rickards H, Edwards MJ. How to use the entrainment test in the diagnosis of functional tremor. Pract Neurol. 2013 Dec;13(6):396-8.
- Pareés I, Saifee TA, Kojovic M, Kassavetis P, Rubio-Agusti I, Sadnicka A, Bhatia KP, Edwards MJ. Functional (psychogenic) symptoms in Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord. 2013 Oct;28(12):1622-7.
- Saifee TA, Edwards MJ. A normal inferior olive in essential tremor--peacemaker or pacemaker? Mov Disord. 2013 Jun;28(6):694-6.
- Edwards MJ, Saifee TA. Coactivation of direct and indirect pathways: insights into the basal ganglia and normal movement control. Mov Disord. 2013 May;28(5):582.
- Kaski D, Saifee TA, Buckwell D, Bronstein AM. Reply to letter--Eye oscillations in Parkinson's disease relate to the vestibulo-ocular reflex. Mov Disord. 2013 Jun;28(6):845-6.
- Schwingenschuh P, Saifee TA, Katschnig-Winter P, Reilly MM, Lunn MP, Manji H, Aguirregomozcorta M, Schmidt R, Bhatia KP, Rothwell JC, Edwards MJ. Cerebellar learning distinguishes inflammatory neuropathy with and without tremor. Neurology. 2013 May 14;80(20):1867-73.
- Rubio-Agusti I, Pareés I, Kojovic M, Stamelou M, Saifee TA, Charlesworth G, Sheerin UM, Edwards MJ, Bhatia KP. Tremulous cervical dystonia is likely to be familial: clinical characteristics of a large cohort. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2013 Jun;19(6):634-8.
- Batla A, Stamelou M, Edwards MJ, Pareés I, Saifee TA, Fox Z, Bhatia KP. Functional movement disorders are not uncommon in the elderly. Mov Disord. 2013 Apr;28(4):540-3.
- Pareés I, Kassavetis P, Saifee TA, Sadnicka A, Davare M, Bhatia KP, Rothwell JC, Bestmann S, Edwards MJ. Failure of explicit movement control in patients with functional motor symptoms. Mov Disord. 2013 Apr;28(4):517-23.
- Kaski D, Saifee TA, Buckwell D, Bronstein AM. Ocular tremor in Parkinson's disease is due to head oscillation. Mov Disord. 2013 Apr;28(4):534-7.
- Pilurzi G, Hasan A, Saifee TA, Tolu E, Rothwell JC, Deriu F. Intracortical circuits, sensorimotor integration and plasticity in human motor cortical projections to muscles of the lower face. J Physiol. 2013 Apr 1;591(7):1889-906.
- Sadnicka A, Kassavetis P, Saifee TA, Pareés I, Rothwell JC, Edwards MJ. Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation does not alter motor surround inhibition. Int J Neurosci. 2013 Jun;123(6):425-32.
- Saifee TA, Schwingenschuh P, Reilly MM, Lunn MP, Katschnig P, Kassavetis P, Pareés I, Manji H, Bhatia K, Rothwell JC, Edwards MJ. Tremor in inflammatory neuropathies. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2013 Nov;84(11):1282-7.
- Kassavetis P, Saifee TA, Sadnicka A, Pareés I, Kojovic M, Rothwell JC, Edwards MJ. Adaptation of surround inhibition in the human motor system. Exp Brain Res. 2012 Oct;222(3):211-7.
- Clark CN, Saifee TA, Cowley PO, Ginsberg L. Dural arteriovenous fistula of the medulla initially mimicking Guillain-Barré syndrome. Arch Neurol. 2012 Jun;69(6):786-7.
- Saifee TA, Kassavetis P, Pareés I, Kojovic M, Fisher L, Morton L, Foong J, Price G, Joyce EM, Edwards MJ. Inpatient treatment of functional motor symptoms: a long-term follow-up study. J Neurol. 2012 Sep;259(9):1958-63.
- Kassavetis P, Batla A, Pareés I, Saifee TA, Schrag A, Cordivari C, Bhatia KP, Edwards MJ. Joint hypermobility syndrome: a risk factor for fixed dystonia? Mov Disord. 2012 Jul;27(8):1070.
- Stamelou M, Saifee TA, Edwards MJ, Bhatia KP. Psychogenic palatal tremor may be underrecognized: reappraisal of a large series of cases. Mov Disord. 2012 Aug;27(9):1164-8.
- Kojovic M, Pareés I, Sadnicka A, Kassavetis P, Rubio-Agusti I, Saifee TA, Bologna M, Rothwell JC, Edwards MJ, Bhatia KP. The brighter side of music in dystonia. Arch Neurol. 2012 Jul;69(7):917-9.
- Pareés I, Kassavetis P, Saifee TA, Sadnicka A, Bhatia KP, Fotopoulou A, Edwards MJ. 'Jumping to conclusions' bias in functional movement disorders. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2012 Apr;83(4):460-3.
- Trip SA, Saifee T, Honan W, Chandrashekar H, Lunn MP, Yousry T, Koltzenburg M, Reilly MM. Chronic immune sensory polyradiculopathy with cranial and peripheral nerve involvement. J Neurol. 2012 Jun;259(6):1238-40.
- Saifee TA, Edwards MJ. Tardive movement disorders: a practical approach. Pract Neurol. 2011 Dec;11(6):341-8.
- Pareés I, Saifee TA, Kassavetis P, Kojovic M, Rubio-Agusti I, Rothwell JC, Bhatia KP, Edwards MJ. Believing is perceiving: mismatch between self-report and actigraphy in psychogenic tremor. Brain. 2012 Jan;135(Pt 1):117-23.
- van Poppelen D, Saifee TA, Schwingenschuh P, Katschnig P, Bhatia KP, Tijssen MA, Edwards MJ. Attention to self in psychogenic tremor. Mov Disord. 2011 Dec;26(14):2575-6.
- Schwingenschuh P, Katschnig P, Seiler S, Saifee TA, Aguirregomozcorta M, Cordivari C, Schmidt R, Rothwell JC, Bhatia KP, Edwards MJ. Moving toward "laboratory-supported" criteria for psychogenic tremor. Mov Disord. 2011 Dec;26(14):2509-15.
- Kassavetis P, Hoffland BS, Saifee TA, Bhatia KP, van de Warrenburg BP, Rothwell JC, Edwards MJ. Cerebellar brain inhibition is decreased in active and surround muscles at the onset of voluntary movement. Exp Brain Res. 2011 Mar;209(3):437-42.
- Saifee TA, Reilly MM, Ako E, Rugg-Gunn F, Brandner S, Lunn MP, Leary SM. Sarcoidosis presenting as acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. Muscle Nerve. 2011 Feb;43(2):296-8.
- Saifee TA, Elliott KJ, Rabin N, Yong KL, D'Sa S, Brandner S, Lunn MP, Blake J, Reilly MM. Bortezomib-induced inflammatory neuropathy. J Peripher Nerv Syst. 2010 Dec;15(4):366-8.
- Saifee T, Lees AJ, Silveira-Moriyama L. Olfactory function in Parkinson's disease in ON versus OFF states. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2010 Nov;81(11):1293-5.