Dr James Alix

BSc(Hons), MBChB, MRCP, PhD, FRCP

School of Medicine and Population Health

Senior Clinical Lecturer in Neurophysiology

Honorary Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

James Alix
Profile picture of James Alix
j.alix@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 215 9100/222 2234
+44 114 215 9223
Room B35, Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)

Full contact details

Dr James Alix
School of Medicine and Population Health
Room B35
Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)
385a Glossop Road
Sheffield
S10 2HQ
Profile

2018 – Present

Senior Clinical Lecturer in Neurophysiology, University of Sheffield

Honorary Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

2015 – 2018:

NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Neurophysiology, University of Sheffield

2012 – 2014:

Specialty Registrar in Clinical Neurophysiology, Yorkshire and the Humber Deanery

2010 – 2012:

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in Core Medical Training/Neurology, University of Sheffield

2008 – 2010:

Academic Foundation Programme, Imperial College, London

2000 – 2008:

MB/PhD programme, University of Leicester Medical School

I studied medicine at Leicester Medical School, undertaking an intercalated BSc in neuroscience (1st class Hons). I then entered the MB/PhD programme, completing a PhD on the molecular mechanisms of perinatal white matter injury. After graduating I completed academic foundation programme training in London before coming to Sheffield to take up an NIHR academic clinical fellowship in neurology. I subsequently moved into clinical neurophysiology and completed the final part of my training as an NIHR clinical lecturer.

Research interests

My research focuses on the development of new techniques to diagnose and monitor neuromuscular disorders. I use electrophysiology and different forms of spectroscopy in both pre-clinical and clinical settings in order to better understand how these diseases start and change over time.          

Current projects:

  • Use of electrical impedance myography in neuromuscular disease
  • Use of Raman spectroscopy in neuromuscular disease
  • Phenotyping preclinical models of MND

Funding                            

My work is or has been supported by the following:

Medical Research Council

Academy of Medical Sciences

Motor Neurone Disease Association

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Ryder Briggs Neuroscience Research Fund/Neurocare

Compound muscle action potentials, surface EMG recordings
novel electrical impedance spectroscopy device.

Compound muscle action potentials, surface EMG recordings and a novel electrical impedance spectroscopy device.

Publications

Journal articles

  • Badger SE, Coldicott I, Kyrgiou-Balli E, Higginbottom A, Moutin C, Mohd Imran K, Day JC, Cooper-Knock J, Mead RJ & Alix JJP (2025) . Disease Models & Mechanisms, 18(2).
  • McKinnon S, Qiang Z, Keerie A, Wells T, Shaw PJ, Alix JJP & Mead RJ (2025) . Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 26(3-4), 322-330.
  • Qiang Z, Barnett L, Bingham G, Han O, Walsh A, Conwill M, McDonough HE, McDermott CJ, Shaw PJ & Alix JJP (2024) . Journal of Neurology, 272(1).
  • Alix JJP, Plesia M, Stockholm D, Shaw PJ, Mead RJ & Day JCC (2024) . Analytical Chemistry, 96(40), 15991-15997.
  • Conwill MT, Alix JJP & Shaw PJ (2024) . Muscle & Nerve, 69(6), 733-734.
  • Alix JJP, Plesia M, Dudgeon AP, Kendall CA, Hewamadduma C, Hadjivassiliou M, Gorman GS, Taylor RW, McDermott CJ, Shaw PJ , Mead RJ et al (2024) . The Analyst, 149(9), 2738-2746.
  • Alix JJP, Plesia M, Shaw PJ, Mead RJ & Day JCC (2023) . Muscle & Nerve, 68(4), 464-470.
  • Alix JJP, Plesia M, Schooling CN, Dudgeon AP, Kendall CA, Kadirkamanathan V, McDermott CJ, Gorman GS, Taylor RW, Mead RJ , Shaw PJ et al (2022) . Journal of Raman Spectroscopy.
  • Alix JJP, Verber NS, Schooling CN, Kadirkamanathan V, Turner MR, Malaspina A, Day JCC & Shaw PJ (2022) . The Analyst, 147(22), 5113-5120.
  • Alix JJP, Plesia M, Hool SA, Coldicott I, Kendall CA, Shaw PJ, Mead RJ & Day JC (2022) . Muscle and Nerve, 66(3), 362-369.
  • Paterson TE, Hagis N, Boufidis D, Wang Q, Moore SR, Da Silva AC, Mitchell RL, Alix JJP & Minev I (2022) . Flexible and Printed Electronics, 7(3).
  • Schooling CN, Healey TJ, McDonough HE, French SJ, McDermott CJ, Shaw PJ, Kadirkamanathan V & Alix JJP (2022) . Clinical Neurophysiology, 139, 69-75.
  • Alix J, Plesia M, Lloyd GR, Dudgeon A, Kendall CA, Hewamadduma C, Hadjivassiliou M, McDermott C, Gorman G, Taylor R , Shaw PJ et al (2022) . Analyst, 2022(11), 2533-2540.
  • Alix JJP, Plesia M, Lloyd GR, Dudgeon AP, Kendall CA, McDermott CJ, Gorman GS, Taylor RW, Shaw PJ & Day JC (2022) . Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 53(2), 172-181.
  • Chan Y, Alix JJP, Neuwirth C, Barkhaus PE, Castro Tech J, Jenkins TM, McDermott CJ, Shaw PJ, Carvalho M, Nandedkar S , Stålberg E et al (2022) . Muscle & Nerve, 65(2), 203-210.
  • Schooling CN, Healey TJ, McDonough HE, French SJ, McDermott CJ, Shaw PJ, Kadirkamanathan V & Alix JJP (2021) . Physiological Measurement, 42(10).
  • Sassani M, Alix J, Mcdermott C, Baster K, Hoggard N, Wild J, Mortiboys H, Shaw P, Wilkinson I & Jenkins T (2021) . Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 429, 119412.
  • Healey TJ, Billinge DER, Alix DJJP, Kadirkamanathan PV & Kemp CR (2021) . IEEE Sensors Journal, 21(20), 22258-22269.
  • Keerie A, Brown-Wright H, Kirkland I, Grierson A, Alix JJP, Holscher C & Mead RJ (2021) . Scientific Reports, 11.
  • Watkins JA, Alix JJP, Shaw PJ & Mead RJ (2021) . Scientific Reports, 11(1).
  • Watkins J, Ghosh A, Keerie AFA, Alix JJP, Mead RJ & Sreedharan J (2021) . Scientific Reports, 11(1).
  • Plesia M, Stevens OA, Lloyd GR, Kendall CA, Coldicott I, Kennerley AJ, Miller G, Shaw PJ, Mead RJ, Day JCC & Alix JJP (2021) . ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 12(10), 1768-1776.
  • Butler E, Mills N, J P Alix J & Hart AR (2021) . Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 63(8), 976-983.
  • Schooling CN, Gyenge N, Kadirkamanthan V & Alix JJP (2021) . Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.
  • Sassani M, Alix J, McDermott C, Baster K, Wild J, Mortiboys H, Shaw P, Wilkinson I & Jenkins T (2020) . Brain, 143(12), 3603-3618.
  • Ghahremani Nezhad H, Franklin JP, Alix JJP, Moll T, Pattrick M, Cooper-Knock J, Shanmugarajah P, Beauchamp NJ, Hadjivissiliou M, Paling D , Mcdermott C et al (2020) . Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 22(7-8), 579-582.
  • Schooling CN, Jamie Healey T, McDonough HE, French SJ, McDermott CJ, Shaw PJ, Kadirkamanathan V & Alix JJP (2020) . Physiological Measurement, 41(12).
  • Watkins J, Ghosh A, Keerie AFA, Alix JJP, Mead RJ & Sreedharan J (2020) . Scientific Reports, 10(1).
  • Alix JJP, McDonough HE, Sonbas B, French SJ, Rao DG, Kadirkamanathan V, McDermott CJ, Healey TJ & Shaw PJ (2020) . Clinical Neurophysiology, 131(4), 799-808.
  • Gossling L, Alix JJP, Stavroulakis T & Hart AR (2020) . BMC Pediatrics, 20(1).
  • Jenkins TM, Alix JJP, Fingret J, Esmail T, Hoggard N, Baster K, McDermott CJ, Wilkinson ID & Shaw PJ (2020) . Journal of Neurology, 267(1), 257-258.
  • Jenkins TM, Alix JJP, Fingret J, Esmail T, Hoggard N, Baster K, McDermott CJ, Wilkinson ID & Shaw PJ (2020) . Journal of Neurology, 267(1), 244-256.
  • Alix JJP, Neuwirth C, Gelder L, Burkhardt C, Castro J, de Carvalho M, Gawel M, Goedee S, Grosskreutz J, Lenglet T , Moglia C et al (2019) . Clinical Neurophysiology, 130(5), 666-674.
  • Henderson D, Alix JJP & Sinha S (2019) . Journal of Surgical Case Reports, 2019(4).
  • Verber NS, Shepheard SR, Sassani M, McDonough HE, Moore SA, Alix JJP, Wilkinson ID, Jenkins TM & Shaw PJ (2019) . Frontiers in Neurology, 10.
  • Alix JJ, Kandler RH, Pang C, Stavroulakis T & Catania S (2019) . Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 61(2), 181-185.
  • Carlson S, Kandler RH, Moorhouse D, Ponnusamy A, Mordekar SR & Alix JJP (2018) . Seizure, 61, 209-213.
  • Jenkins T, Alix J, David C, Pearson E, Ganesh Rao D, Hoggard N, O'Brien E, Baster K, Bradburn M, Bigley J , McDermott C et al (2018) . Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 89, 248-255.
  • Hart AR & Alix JJP (2018) . ADC Fetal & Neonatal Edition, 103(2).
  • Alix JJP, Ponnusamy A, Pilling E & Hart AR (2017) . Paediatrics and Child Health, 27(3), 135-142.
  • Hart AR, Ponnusamy A, Pilling E & Alix JJP (2017) . Paediatrics and Child Health, 27(4), 187-195.
  • Jenkins TM, Alix JJP, Kandler RH, Shaw PJ & McDermott CJ (2016) . Muscle & Nerve, 54(3), 378-385.
  • Alix JJ, Alam T, Garrard K, Martindale J, Shanmugarajah P, Rao DG & Hadjivassiliou M (2016) . Muscle Nerve.
  • Alam T, Alix JJ, Rao DG & Hadjivassiliou M (2016) . Muscle Nerve.
  • Neuwirth C, Burkhardt C, Alix J, Castro J, de Carvalho M, Gawel M, Goedee S, Grosskreutz J, Lenglet T, Moglia C , Omer T et al (2016) . PLoS ONE, 11(5).
  • Alam T, Barker ASE, Alix JJP, Hadjivassiliou M & Rao DG (2016) . Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques, 43(3), 385-389.
  • Alix JJP, Ponnusamy A & Hart AR (2015) . Epileptic Disorders, 17(3), 349-349.
  • Hart AR, Pilling EL & Alix JJP (2015) . Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition, 100(4), 170-175.
  • Hart AR, Pilling EL & Alix JJP (2015) . Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition, 100(5), 226-232.
  • Alix JJP, Hadjivassiliou M, Ali R, Slater D, Messenger AG & Rao DG (2015) . Muscle & Nerve, 51(2), 296-301.
  • Alix JJP, Kandler RH & Mordekar SR (2014) . Seizure, 23(8), 662-665.
  • Goodwin E, Kandler RH & Alix JJP (2014) . Seizure, 23(6), 480-482.
  • Alix JJP & Shaw PJ (2014) , 329-350.
  • Blackburn DJ, Alix JJP, Sarrigiannis P, Hoggard N & Bandmann O (2013) . Practical Neurology, 13(2), 114-119.
  • Alix JJP, Blackburn DJ, Sokhi D, Craven I, Sharrack B & Snowden JA (2013) . Journal of Neurology, 260(3), 914-916.
  • Alix JJP, Zammit C, Riddle A, Meshul CK, Back SA, Valentino M & Fern R (2012) . Annals of Neurology, 72(6), 936-951.
  • Alix JJP, Ponnusamy A, Bhattacharyya D, Hoggard N & Grünewald RA (2012) . Seizure, 21(10), 820-822.
  • Alix JJP, Blackburn DJ, Bhattacharyya D & Ponnusamy A (2012) . The Spine Journal, 12(7), 629-630.
  • Alix JJP & de Jesus Domingues AM (2011) . Neurology, 76(4), 397-404.
  • Alix JJP (2010) . Annals of Neurology, 68(1), 119-120.
  • Alix JJP & Fern R (2009) . Annals of Neurology, 66(5), 682-693.
  • Alix JJP (2009) . Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 15(2), 278-278.
  • Alix JJP, Dolphin AC & Fern R (2008) . The Journal of Physiology, 586(17), 4069-4089.
  • Arranz AM, Hussein A, Alix JJP, Pérez‐Cerdá F, Allcock N, Matute C & Fern R (2008) . Glia, 56(12), 1353-1367.
  • Alix JJP (2006) . European Neurology, 56(2), 74-77.
  • Alix J () . McGill Journal of Medicine, 9(2).

Book chapters

  • (2024) , International Review of Neurobiology (pp. 87-118). Elsevier
  • Abrams GM, Albers GW, Alix JJP, Aminoff MJ, Bharucha AE, Batla A, Benson CM, Betjemann JP, Brosch JR, Camilleri M , Chen R et al (2014) , Aminoff's Neurology and General Medicine (pp. vii-xii). Elsevier
  • Alix JJP & Salter MG (2011) Highlights in understanding white matter ischemia, Brain Mapping and Diseases (pp. 61-80).
  • Alix JJP (2009) Organisation of the node of ranvier in myelinated central axons, Handbook on White Matter Structure Function and Changes (pp. 317-334).

Conference proceedings

  • Jenkins T, Alix J, Rao G, Hoggard N, O'Brien E, Baster K, Bradburn M, Bigley J, McDermott C, Wilkinson I & Shaw P (2017) . Journal of the Neurological Sciences , Vol. 381s (pp 102-102). Kyoto, Japan, 16 September 2017 - 16 September 2017.
  • Rao DG, Alix J, Ali R, Slater D, Messenger A & Hadjivassiliou M (2014) A RARE CAUSE FOR DORSAL ROOT GANGLIONOPATHY WITH RESPONSE TO IMMUNOMODULATION. MUSCLE & NERVE, Vol. 50(4) (pp 646-646)
  • Blackburn D, Alix JP & Bandmann O (2012) . Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, Vol. 83(Suppl 2) (pp A16.2-A16)
  • Alix J, Blackburn D, Sokhi D, Dalley C, Jessop H, Sharrack B & Snowden J (2012) Pulse high-dose cyclophosphamide in malignant multiple sclerosis may result in successful functional recovery and stem cell mobilisation to enable safe delivery of AHSCT. BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION, Vol. 47 (pp S227-S228)

Preprints

  • Weinreich M, McDonough H, Yacovzada N, Magen I, Cohen Y, Harvey C, Gornall S, Boddy S, Alix J, Mohseni N , Kurz JM et al (2024) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • McKinnon S, Qiang Z, Keerie A, Wells T, Shaw PJ, Alix JJP & Mead RJ (2024) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Research group

PhD students

Nicholas Hagis (Primary supervisor)

Scott McKinnon (co-supervisor; Primary supervisor Dr Richard Mead)

Postdoc:

Dr Ali Awan

Teaching interests

I am module leader for the Applied Neuroanatomy & Clinical Neuroscience module on the MSc Neurology course.

I regularly give neurophysiology lectures to medical and postgraduate students. I also provide research supervision to PhD students, intercalating medical students, MSc students and supervise students on SSC attachments. I am also a personal and academic (PATS) tutor for medical students. I am also the training programme director for clinical neurophysiology (Yorkshire and the Humber).

I am particularly keen to encourage medical students to undertake research during their time at medical school and welcome any enquiries regarding potential projects.

Professional activities and memberships

Module Leader, Applied Neuroanatomy & Clinical Neuroscience module, MSc Neurology course, University of Sheffield.

Ad hoc peer review for journals, including Clinical Neurophysiology, Muscle and Nerve,  European Journal of Neurology.

Grant reviewer for Medical Research Council, NIHR, Motor Neurone Disease Association, MND Scotland, Academy of Medical Sciences, Royal Society.

Awards

Lord Adrian Prize, British Society for Clinical Neurophysiology, 2017

Distinction, Final Professional Examination, University of Leicester, 2008

Wellcome Trust Elective Prize, 2008

Physiological Society Studentship, 2005

Leicester Medical Research Foundation (Medisearch) Studentship, 2004

Charles Lawson Award for Intercalated Studies, University of Leicester, 2004

Examples of prizes awarded to my students:

British Society of Clinical Neurophysiology intercalation award (Mr H. McDonough, 2017; Mr Y. Chan, 2019; Ms A Hodgson, 2023)

British Society of Clinical Neurophysiology Medical Student Essay Prize (Mr Z. Qiang, 2023)

Clinical Research Poster Prize (29th International Symposium on ALS/MND, Mr H. McDonough, 2018)

BioSheffield Poster Prize (Mr N. Hagis, 2022)

University of Sheffield Summer Research Scholarships (Mr. Z Qiang, Ms H. Ji, 2022; Ms. C Kelly 2023)