Helene Verhelst

Professor Helene Verhelst is a prominent pediatric neurologist at Ghent University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, specializing in complex neuroinflammatory and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. With over 80 publications since 2000, her research spans autoimmune encephalitis, epilepsy syndromes, tuberous sclerosis complex, and movement disorders, often through large international collaborations like the TOSCA registry.

Her primary research interests focus on pediatric autoimmune neurological disorders, particularly anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and related conditions, where she has published seminal case studies and longitudinal outcome analyses. She also investigates epilepsy genetics (including SCN8A-related disorders) and neurodevelopmental aspects of tuberous sclerosis complex, with recent work exploring vestibular dysfunction in hypotonic children. Her methodology combines clinical phenomenology with emerging biomarkers like blood transcriptomics.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on autoimmune mechanisms in childhood neurological disorders, with 9 of 15 articles (60%) directly addressing autoimmune encephalitis, neuroinflammation, or immune-mediated conditions. Her work increasingly incorporates multidisciplinary approaches, bridging neurology, immunology, and psychiatry to address complex presentations like psychiatric manifestations of neurological diseases.

Her collaborative network includes over 30 frequent co-authors, notably Rudy Van Coster (31 joint publications), Patrick Verloo (11), and specialists in immunology and genetics. She contributes significantly to international consortia including the TOSCA registry for tuberous sclerosis and IPMSSG for pediatric multiple sclerosis.

Professor Verhelst leads clinical investigations into novel diagnostic approaches and therapeutic alternatives, including natural products for ADHD and advanced monitoring for epilepsy. Her 2019 PhD thesis on neuroinflammatory disorders established the foundation for her current work on immune-mediated neurological conditions in children.