ResultsIn total, 73 infants were recruited for this study. The initial exploratory study included 15 cases (8 perinatal asphyxia, 3 moderate HIE, and 4 severe HIE) and 9 controls. Following exploratory work, 3 samples had to be excluded from the finalcohort because of an insufficient amount of sample. In the total cohort we performed qRT-PCR in 70 infants, consisting of 33 with perinatal asphyxia (no HIE), 19 with HIE, and 18 controls. In the HIE group, 6 had moderate-severe HIE (2 moderate and 4 severe), and 13 had mild HIE. Demographic details of both groups are in the Table. There was a strong correlation between clinical assessment and EEG grade by 24 hours after birth (r = 0.875, P = 0.004)