Diana Escalona-Vargas
Sourced from institutional research profiles (UAMS TRI or ARA).
Assistant Professor
Faculty Researcher
Peds Pediatrics, College of Medicine
Research Areas
Biomedical Subjects
Biography and Research Information
OverviewAI-generated summary
Diana Escalona-Vargas's research focuses on understanding and improving child and adolescent health. Her work investigates behavioral and psychological factors impacting young people, with a particular emphasis on health disparities and outcomes within this demographic. She also explores educational strategies relevant to health sciences and medical fields, aiming to enhance both patient care and professional development.
Metrics
- Publications: 1
Selected Publications
-
Corrigendum to “Evaluating the effects of maternal diabetes on early infant neurodevelopment with a novel combination of four neurodevelopmental tools” [Early Human Development 214 (2026) 106461] (2026)
-
433 Neurodevelopmental effects of maternal diabetes in 12-month-old children (2026)
-
Magnetoencephalography as a Novel Tool for Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Seizures (2026)
Research Interests
I specialize in biomedical signal processing and advanced neuroimaging, with a focus on developing and applying novel computational approaches to electrophysiological signals recorded from large-scale sensor arrays. My expertise spans noninvasive brain imaging techniques including magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG), intracranial and high-density EEG, and fetal MEG (fMEG). My training includes research internships at the Dynamic Neuroimaging Laboratory at McGill University and the SARA/Fetal MEG Research Center at UAMS, both internationally recognized for their contributions to neuroimaging and biomedical signal analysis. Currently, I serve as Technical Director of the MEG Laboratory at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), where I lead clinical and translational MEG studies for pediatric epilepsy and brain tumor. I also direct the hospital’s Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) program, expanding noninvasive functional mapping techniques to improve surgical planning in pediatric epilepsy. I maintain active research collaborations with the UAMS fMEG Laboratory to investigate maternal–fetal physiology to study how clinical drug exposure affects fetal brain development and the use of emerging optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) systems for fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG). In parallel, I collaborate on adult EEG studies using intracranial and high-density EEG to investigate epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. My broader research interests include multimodal neuroimaging of cognitive development and brain function across the lifespan, with a strong emphasis on translational applications. I am particularly focused on optimizing pre-surgical mapping of language and memory networks in children with epilepsy to improve post-surgical outcomes. A parallel research track investigates how environmental and psychosocial factors—such as obesity, stress, emotional regulation, and functional seizures—impact brain function in pediatric populations.
Grants & Funding
As listed on this researcher's institutional profile.
- GR039097-Escalona-Vargas-ACHRI-Pediatric Language and Memory Mapping in Refractory Epilsy using Magnetoencepahlography UAMS ACHRI Flow Through Principal Investigator
- Magnetomyography of levator muscle complex in pregnancy and postpartum: Adaptation, injury, and recovery patterns NIH Co-Investigator
- Neuroimaging of food-related impulse control and stressors in childhood obesity NIGMS/NIH, Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention, PRL Principal Investigator
- Buprenorphine on fetal brain development UAMS Medical Research Endowment (MRE) Principal Investigator
- Development of Analysis Tools to Enhance Magnetomyographic Assessment of Pelvic Floor Muscles NIH/Nat. Inst. of Biomedical Imaging & Bioengineering Co-Investigator
- Non-invasive prenatal assessment using optically pumped magnetometers NIH/National Institutes of Health Co-Investigator
- Non-invasive prenatal assessment using optically pumped magnetometers NIH Co-Investigator
- RII Track-2 FEC- Probing and Understanding the Brain: Micro and Macro Dynamics of Seizure and Memory Networks - Continuation - Continuation - Continuation National Science Foundation via Louisiana Tech University Co-Investigator
- Magnetomyography of levator muscle complex in pregnancy and postpartum: Adaptation, injury, and recovery patterns NIH/National Institutes of Health Co-Investigator
- Development of low-cost optically pumped magnetometer system for fetal applications NIH/Nat. Heart, Lung & Blood Institute Co-Investigator
- Magnetoencephalography based tracking of fetal neurodevelopment in diabetic pregnancies NIH/Nat. Inst. of Child Health & Human Development Co-Investigator
- Studying the effect of Buprenorphine on Fetal Brain Development Using Magnetoencephalography - Continuation Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Principal Investigator
- Brain Mapping in Pediatric Patients with Functional Seizures using Magnetoencephalography Marion B. Lyon New Scientist Development Award Principal Investigator
Collaboration Network
Top Collaborators
- Magnetoencephalography as a Novel Tool for Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Seizures
- Magnetoencephalography as a Novel Tool for Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Seizures
- Magnetoencephalography as a Novel Tool for Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Seizures
- Magnetoencephalography as a Novel Tool for Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Seizures
- Magnetoencephalography as a Novel Tool for Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Seizures
- Magnetoencephalography as a Novel Tool for Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Seizures
Similar Researchers
Based on overlapping research topics