bhagyams@gmail.com < Back to People Page > Lab Team Dr Bhagyalakshmi M S Project Scientist Dr Bhagyalakshmi is a project scientist at Centre for Brain and Mind with PhD in Genetics and Epigenetics of Psychiatric disorders. She is experienced at working with clinical samples, conducting association and candidate gene studies. She has also worked extensively on DNA methylation in psychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder, and Alcohol Liver Disease. Currently working on molecular genetics, epigenetics, and epigenomics of various neuropsychiatric disorders to understand the contribution of epigenetic modifications to the disease pathobiology and to explore gene -environment interaction in this aspect.

suhailsyed1700@gmail.com < Back to People Page > Syed Suhali S Project Nurse

johnsonajith2000@gmail.com < Back to People Page > Lab Team Johnson Ajith Project Nurse

LinkedIn akshiva2891@gmail.com < Back to People Page > Lab Team, Research Students and Fellows Akshayaa Ganesh Junior Research Fellow, PhD Candidate Akshayaa is a Molecular Biology graduate from Dr ALM PG IBMS, University of Madras. She has explored molecular aspects of diverse research questions like mitochondrial genetics of Plasmodium falciparum, miRNA-curcumin-mediated regulation in cervical cancer cells, and cellular aging markers like Telomere attrition & mitochondrial copy number variation in Huntington's disease. Currently, she works on accelerated cellular aging in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders for her PhD thesis . At India-ENIGMA Ageing program, she aims to understand the genetic heterogeneity of Alzheimer's disease (AD) which makes a set of people vulnerable or resilient towards the disease progression from Mild Cognitive Impairment to mild AD and then to AD. She will study AD heterogeneity by employing genetic & epigenetic tools like Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS), miRnome & global methylation analysis.

Coffee, Cinema and Community: Redefining Mental Health Brain Awareness Week aims to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science through education and awareness. Our week long program, held from July 15th - 21st. 2024 included book talks, art exhibitions, film discussions and learning about the history of NIMHANS, encouraging Bengaluru residents to learn & talk about mental health and neuroscience research. July 15 | Tour of NIMHANS with the Director The tour offered an insightful experience, including a guided visit through various parts of NIMHANS to learn about its history and groundbreaking research, led by the Director of NIMHANS, Professor Pratima Murthy. High school students from Gopalan International School interacted with our scientists, engaged in activities and paid a visit to the renowned Brain Museum. July 17 | "Mindscape and Landscape: An Illustrated History of NIMHANS" by Dr. Sanjeev Jain, Emeritus Professor, NIMHANS At this insightful book talk, Dr. Sanjeev Jain, eminent psychiatrist and author, delved into the rich history of NIMHANS and provided a captivating overview of the institution's journey and its significant contributions to mental health research and care, as detailed in his book. July 20 | Through the Looking Glass: Artistic Perspectives on Mental Health Artists from all across India harnessed their artistic skills to express their feelings about mental health. Art and photographs were displayed at the Neurobiology Research Centre at NIMHANS, and visitors also got a chance to go home with postcards of the artwork. You can view the artwork displayed at our exhibit on the right → (click to enlarge) Sophiya Sinha Charu Krishnaraju Vaishnavi S Naragunda Sophiya Sinha 1/51 July 20 | Mental Health & Movies - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly In this thought-provoking fireside chat on the representation of mental illnesses and health in movies our panellists comprising filmmakers (Vrinda Samartha, Suneel Raghavendra), mental health professionals (Dr Suhas Satish), and film bloggers (Dr Basundhara Ghosh) examined the impact of cinematic portrayals on public perception and stigma surrounding mental health issues, through a screening of clips from popular Indian films and engaging discussions with the audience. The talk was moderated by Anmol Tikoo. You can watch the discussion here July 21 | Stories in Motion: Mental Wellness through Art and Narratives by Dr. Ankit Dwivedi Our participants experienced the power of storytelling in understanding mental health with Dr. Ankit Dwivedi, a professional storyteller and researcher. This interactive workshop explored the nuances of mental health using engaging storytelling and community building, helping participants gain a deeper appreciation for the human experiences behind mental health challenges. Translated Resources We have translated several of our organization's resources, along with select materials from the Dana Foundation, into Hindi and Kannada. T hese resources focus on mental health disorders and neuroscience research, aiming to make this information accessible to a wider audience. Hindi Resources Kannada Resources Brain Awareness Week is a global campaign aimed at increasing public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. This annual event unites the efforts of organisations worldwide in promoting the importance of brain health. This event was sponsored by the International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) and Dana Foundation Brain Awareness Week Grant , in association with the Department of Mental Health Education, NIMHANS, Bengaluru and the Centre for Brain and Mind - National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru . We thank our venue partners, the Bangalore International Centre and AttaGalatta . Coordinators: Anushka Banerjee & Kadambari Patil | Organisers: Dr Reeteka Sud, Dr Biju Viswanath, Dr YC Janardhan Reddy, Dr Meena KS, Dr Ranjana Sarma & Shatabdi Pal | Designer: Sukriti Chordiya

Research Gate meera.purushottam@gmail.com < Back to People Page > Team Lead Dr Meera Purushottam Senior Scientific Officer Dr Meera Purushottam is senior geneticist at the Molecular Genetics Laboratory at NIMHANS where the focus has been the genetic basis and correlates of psychiatric and neurological diseases. The laboratory is the testing ground for many clinicians who base their post graduate and doctoral thesis dissertations on wet lab experiments carried out under her supervision. Her work has focused on trying to understand the influence of gene variants on disease presentation and response to drugs. Cells derived from patients have been used to unravel disease mechanisms better, while whole exome studies have helped to identify rare risk variants in severe mental illness in patients. She is in charge of genetic testing for early onset neuromuscular and late onset movement disorders. She is interested in understanding the biological implications of genetic variants at the level of the patient, the tissue and the cell. The effect of the environment on the DNA methylome is an area of specific interest.

Google Scholar | Twitter bijuv1@gmail.com < Back to People Page > Team Lead Dr Biju Viswanath Additional Professor, Department of Psychiatry Dr Biju Viswanath is a clinician-researcher and Additional Professor at the Centre for Brain and Mind and the Department of Psychiatry, NIMHANS. His interest lies in developing cellular models for psychiatric disorders. He trained as a psychiatrist and also received his Ph.D. from NIMHANS.