The Centre for Brain and Mind (CBM-NIMHANS) focuses on supporting research on five mental disorders — schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder & dementia. The centre employs several tools & techniques to understand the complexities of brain & mind conditions. This is a collaborative effort of the National Institute for Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) & the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. Welcome Updates Research Events Jobs Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind About Us The Centre for Brain and Mind is a collaborative, premier research centre focused on supporting research on five mental disorders — schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder and dementia. With a partnership between the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), the centre employs several tools & techniques to understand the complexities of brain and mind conditions. Learn More Introduction New at CBM Dr Reeteka Sud awarded the PGRN–Myriad Research Grant 2025! Career Development Fellowship Awardee - Dr Kalyani B Karunakaran Congratulations to Dr Kalyani B Karunakaran for being awarded the Career Development Fellowship at CBM-NIMHANS! Dr Karunakaran's work focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying cross-disorder relationships & psychiatric drugs with cross-disorder effects. Join us at Manotsava 2025! Manotsava, India's largest mental health festival, returns to Bengaluru on November 8-9, 2025 at the Lalit Ashok! Get involved in research! We're bringing together scientists, clinicians, members of the public, individuals with lived experiences and their caregivers to talk about our research in psychiatric and neurological illnesses. A Cerebellar Paradox Offers Clues in SCA12 Research Our new paper unveils a fascinating paradox: the brain region most vulnerable in SCA12 appears surprisingly resilient. New publication! CAG Repeat Instability and Region-Specific Gene Expression Changes in the SCA12 Brain Welcome to our incoming batch of Ph.D. students! (L-R) Manasadeepika, Shama, Chandrakanta, Blossom, Joyce, Lakshmi, Shweta Our e-book is out now! "MIND: The Gap" blends research, personal stories, and insights from our events to explore mental health holistically. Through the Looking Glass Art Exhibition Visit our art exhibition, running at the NIMHANS Heritage Museum from Oct-Nov 2024 in celebration of World Mental Health Day! Welcome to our incoming batch of Ph.D. students! (L-R) Deepankan, Shrinkhala, Pannaga (Not pictured) Rashmi, Blossom Coffee, Cinema and Community: Mental Health Redefined | July 15 - 21, 2024 From book talks to film discussions, and art exhibitions to storytelling workshops - let's talk about mental health, Bengaluru! New publication alert! Exploring the genetics of lithium response in bipolar disorders Dr Suhas G awarded 2024 Society of Biological Psychiatry Travel Fellowship Award Dr Bhagyalakshmi S awarded the 2024 WFSBP Young Investigator Award New publication alert! Altered neuroepithelial morphogenesis and migration defects in iPSC-derived cerebral organoids and 2D neural stem cells in familial bipolar disorder Excited volunteers trying out the EEG caps at National Science Day celebrations Welcome to our incoming batch of Ph.D. students! (L-R) Akshayaa, Mythri, Lakshana, Shreevidya We were at the India Science Festival 2024 at IISER Pune! Srividya and Romita's farewell lunch - good luck & we'll miss you! Our Research Groups Clinical Group Endophenotype Group Genetics & Stem Cell Group Patients undergo extensive clinical investigations, including neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessments at regular intervals as part of a longitudinal study Learn More Advances in stem cell technology allow us to investigate specific molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders and offer insights into genetic variations and their effects on neuronal functioning in neural cell models. Learn More Endophenotypic clues derived from various assessments enhance the reliability of research on brain function by offering insights into genetic factors of a psychiatric disorder Learn More Learn more Do you want to participate in our research studies? Click here to learn more Opportunities Laboratory Associate Contact

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Genetics and Stem Cell Group Molecular disturbances involving multiple genes contribute to the complexity of psychiatric disorders, requiring a focus on cellular and molecular changes. Advances in stem cell technology allow us to investigate specific molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders and offer insights into genetic variations and their effects on neuronal functioning in neural cell models using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This offers potential for improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Dr Biju Viswanath Lead Investigator, Bipolar Disorder Cohort Dr. Meera Purushottam Senior Scientific Officer, Molecular Genetics Lab, Department of Psychiatry Dr. Suhas Ganesh Clinician Scientist, MQ: Transforming Mental Health Fellow, Department of Psychiatry Dr. Reeteka Sud Lab Senior Scientist, Department of Psychiatry Affiliated Labs and Centre Molecular Genetics Laboratory (MGL) Bhalla Lab Padinjat Lab ADBS Data Centre Facilities Sanger Sequencing SeqStudio Flex 24-cap Genetic Analyzer High-capacity computational cluster Master Node: CPU: 4x Intel Xeon Gold 6150, 144 cores Memory: 2TB DDR4 ECC @ 2666 MT/s Storage: 20TB SSD + auxiliary SAN Storage:500TB via LVM Compute Nodes (2): CPU: Dual Intel Xeon Gold 5115, 40 cores each Memory: 128GB DDR4 ECC @ 2666 MT/s each Storage: 1TB SSD each Integrated with SAN Storage for data management Cell Culture Facility Biosafety Level 2 Inverted Fluorescence Microscope Sample Biorepository Liquid Handling Robot epMotion 5075 Genetic Analyzer 3500xl Genetic Analyzer for Human Identification Featured Publications Prasad G, P. et al. (2025b) “Unstable FGF14 GAA repeat expansions in Indian ataxia patients: a broader phenotype and involvement of modifier loci?,” Journal of Human Genetics, pp. 1–7. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s10038-025-01390-6 . Parthaje, S. et al. (2025) “CAG Repeat Instability and Region-Specific Gene Expression Changes in the SCA12 Brain,” The Cerebellum, 24(3), p. 60. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-025-01808-z . Karunakaran, K.B., Jain, S., Widera, D. et al. Spatial and functional profiles distinguish target sets of Parkinson’s disease and antipsychotic drugs with different clinical effects. Transl Psychiatry 15, 124 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03351-1 Cabrera-Mendoza, B. et al. (2025) “Equitable Collaboration Between LMIC and HIC Researchers, Part I: A Preliminary Framework for Capacity Building in Psychiatric Genetics Research,” American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, n/a(n/a), p. e33042. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.b.33042 . Phalnikar, K. et al. (2024) “Altered neuroepithelial morphogenesis and migration defects in iPSC-derived cerebral organoids and 2D neural stem cells in familial bipolar disorder,” Oxford Open Neuroscience, 3, p. kvae007. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/oons/kvae007 . Vinod, P. et al. (2024) “Does Apolipoprotein E polymorphism play a role in familial Alzheimer’s Dementia,” Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 20(S1), p. e087257. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.087257 .