Search this site

Clinician Scientist (Equivalent to Assistant Professor) in Psychiatry mayurvanish@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Clinical Team Bipolar Disorder Dr Pavithra Jayasankar Clinician Scientist (Equivalent to Assistant Professor) in Psychiatry CBM

Laboratory Manager vignesh.cbm26@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Lab Team Vignesh P Laboratory Manager CBM Vignesh is a Laboratory Manager at the Centre for Brain and Mind, NIMHANS. With a masters degree in Medical Biochemistry and over five years of experience in healthcare operations and laboratory management, Vignesh has worked extensively in coordinating clinical and research laboratory services. His interests lie in strengthening quality systems and supporting interdisciplinary research. Outside of work, Vignesh enjoys reading fiction, playing football, poetry and sketching

Scientific Communication Coordinator writetokadambari7900@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Communication Team Kadambari Patil Scientific Communication Coordinator CBM Kadambari Patil is a science communicator and illustrator with a background in Zoology and Botany. As the visual communication lead at the Centre for Brain and Mind - NIMHANS, she ensures complex scientific information is accessible and engaging across platforms. Kadambari has secured grants for outreach, curated science-art exhibitions, and coordinated neuroscience public engagement programs fostering community involvement

Scientist ‘D’ (Electrophysiology) gautam73kb.cbm.nimhans@gmail.com LinkedIn | Twitter ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1072-4144 Back Back to People Page Back MRI/EEG Team Dr Gautam Kumar B Scientist ‘D’ (Electrophysiology) CBM Dr Gautam’s fascination with understanding biological systems with the help of graph theory during his engineering took him on a journey on the yellow brick road called research. His PhD thesis was on using novel techniques to understand Alzheimer’s disease using neuroimaging data and network analysis using EEG & PET imaging data. His current interest is understanding psychiatric disorders using dynamic causal/decision models. As an autodidact, He gets excited talking about diverse topics and good food.

Project Associate nishalijesh@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Clinical Team Nisha A S Project Associate CBM, A-BIG-NET Nisha works for the Center for Brain and Mind department as a project associate for the GenECT project. She holds a Masters degree in counseling, family therapy, and social work. She also has prior experience working in public outreach, counseling, and community training. In her free time, she likes to read fiction and non-fiction books, travel, and discover new places.

Clinical Project Associate Back Back to People Page Back Clinical Team Spurthi S P Clinical Project Associate CBM, A-BIG-NET

Professor, Department of Psychiatry bijuv1@gmail.com Google Scholar | Twitter | PubMed Back Back to People Page Back Investigator Team Bipolar Disorder, Molecular Genetics, Stem Cell Research Dr Biju Viswanath Professor, Department of Psychiatry CBM, MGL, A-BIG-NET, DBT/IA Lithium I am a professor of psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru (NIMHANS) , where my primary area of research includes understanding the molecular basis of etiology and treatment response in neuropsychiatric disorders. My training as a physician specialising in psychiatry and as a basic researcher in human stem cells enables me with a unique skill set to develop and execute translational psychiatry research. I am currently funded to examine genetic and cellular correlates of lithium response in bipolar disorder. I am also a key investigator at the Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind at NIMHANS (previously the Accelerator program for Discovery in Brain disorders using Stem cells (ADBS) program funded by the Department of Biotechnology), which aims to build a biorepository of human induced pluripotent stem cells for serious mental illnesses in India. The proposed study is in line with my interests in the genetic basis of bipolar disorder. I have established a network of investigators in India that has the capability to become an important contributor in the field of psychiatric genetics. I am also a DBT/WT India Alliance Intermediate Fellow in the Clinical and Public Health programme Publications Agrawal, A., Bulik, C. M., Abebe, D. S., Andreassen, O. A., Atkinson, E. G., Choi, K., Corvin, A., Davies, H. L., Davis, L., Docherty, A., Edenberg, H. J., Franke, B., Gelernter, J., Giusti-Rodriguez, P., Hettema, J. M., Hjerling-Leffler, J., Huang, H., Johnson, E. C., Lewis, C., … Sullivan, P. (2025). The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium: Discoveries and Directions . https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/xykj2_v2 Parthaje, S., Janardhanan, M., Paul, P., Karunakaran, K. B., Deb, A. P., Shankarappa, B., Pal, P. K., Mahadevan, A., Jain, S., Viswanath, B. , & Purushottam, M. (2025). CAG Repeat Instability and Region-Specific Gene Expression Changes in the SCA12 Brain. The Cerebellum , 24 (3), 60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-025-01808-z Ratna, N., Venkatesh, S. D., Pasupulati, S., Murari, G., Kamble, N., Viswanath, B ., Yadav, R., Varghese, M., Pal, P. K., Jain, S., & Purushottam, M. (2025). Allelic Diversity, de novo CAG Expansions, and Intergenerational Instability at the HTT Locus in a clinical sample of Huntington’s Disease from India . https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.03.21260193 Ritter, P., Glenn, T., Achtyes, E. D., Alda, M., Agaoglu, E., Altınbaş, K., Andreassen, O. A., Angelopoulos, E., Ardau, R., Aydin, M., Ayhan, Y., Baethge, C., Bauer, R., Baune, B. T., Balaban, C., Becerra-Palars, C., Behere, A. P., Behere, P. B., Belete, H., … Bauer, M. (2024). Association between a large change between the minimum and maximum monthly values of solar insolation and a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. International Journal of Bipolar Disorders , 12 (1), 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40345-024-00364-5 Shankarappa, B., Prasad, V. P., Kumar, S., Rao, R. S., Royal, A. B., Swamy, M., Prasad, P., Niranjana Murthy, A. S., Ganesh, S., Viswanath, B. , Jain, S., Purushottam, M., & Thyloth, M. (2024). A Novel Homozygous Variant in CPLANE1 Gene in a Patient with Developmental Deficits. Molecular Syndromology , 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1159/000541167

Human Resource Manager ResearchGate Back Back to People Page Back Admin Team Chitra Kadu Human Resource Manager CBM Chitra is a Human Resources Manager at the Centre for Brain and Mind, NIMHANS. She has an M.Phil. in Psychology, a diploma in Alternative Medicines (Yoga and Naturopathy), and has done an advanced course in Clinical Research. With more than a decade of work experience coordinating end-to-end research project activties in the public & mental health domains, her primary responsibility at CBM is manging HR activities of the projects under the guidance of the scientific team. She is passionate about understanding human behaviour and how one can achieve holistic health and live a quality life. She likes to spend her leisure time doing yoga, meditation, and exploring nature.

Professor, Department of Psychiatry Google Scholar Back Back to People Page Back Co-Investigator Team Dr Muralidharan Kesavan Professor, Department of Psychiatry

Assistant Professor, DST INSPIRE Faculty Fellow, Department of Psychiatry ashithasnm09@gmail.com Google Scholar Back Back to People Page Back Co-Investigator Team, Lab Team Dr Ashitha S N M Assistant Professor, DST INSPIRE Faculty Fellow, Department of Psychiatry MQ Dr Ashita S N M is an assistant professor at the INSPIRE facility at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences at Bangalore, India. Her research focuses on psychiatry genetics, neuroimmunology and neuroimmune dynamics of Autism Spectrum Disorder. She is a recipient of an MQ Fellows Award . Agarwal, A., Praveen, A. P., Singhai, K., Ashitha, S. N. M ., Purushottam, M., Jain, S., & Moirangthem, S. (2024). A rare case of Niemann Pick Disease with a novel variant in the NPC2 gene presenting with neuropsychiatric manifestations in middle age. Asian Journal of Psychiatry , 97 , 104089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104089 Durbagula, S., Parambath, S. V., Siddappa Niranjana Murthy, A ., Rameshraju K, M., Ghati Kasturirangan, C., Udupi, G. A., Ramachandra, N. B., Huligerepura Sosalegowda, A., Raman, V., Korlimarla, A., & Gowda, N. K. C. (2024). Genetic insights into male autism spectrum disorder in a small cohort of Indian simplex families: Findings from whole exome sequencing. General Psychiatry , 37 (6), e101606. https://doi.org/10.1136/gpsych-2024-101606 Shankarappa, B., Prasad, V. P., Kumar, S., Rao, R. S., Royal, A. B., Swamy, M., Prasad, P., Niranjana Murthy, A. S ., Ganesh, S., Viswanath, B., Jain, S., Purushottam, M., & Thyloth, M. (2024). A Novel Homozygous Variant in CPLANE1 Gene in a Patient with Developmental Deficits. Molecular Syndromology , 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1159/000541167 Snijesh, V. P., Krishnamurthy, S., Bhardwaj, V., Punya, K. M., Niranjana Murthy, A. S. , Almutadares, M., Habhab, W. T., Nasser, K. K., Banaganapalli, B., Shaik, N. A., & Albaqami, W. F. (2024). SHH Signaling as a Key Player in Endometrial Cancer: Unveiling the Correlation with Good Prognosis, Low Proliferation, and Anti-Tumor Immune Milieu. International Journal of Molecular Sciences , 25 (19), 10443. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms251910443 Srividhya, D., Snijesh, V., Ashitha, S. , Korlimarla, A., & Gowda, N. K. (2024). T53. TEMPORAL DYNAMICS AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF AUTISM RISK GENES IDENTIFIED IN THE INDIAN POPULATION: PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL INSIGHTS. European Neuropsychopharmacology , 87 , 184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2024.08.363

Assistant Professor, Centre for Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry jayantmahadevan@gmail.com Google Scholar Back Back to People Page Back Co-Investigator Team Addiction Dr Jayant Mahadevan Assistant Professor, Centre for Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry A-BIG-NET Publications Jha, A., Sharma, A. K., & Mahadevan, J. (2024). Addiction Research in South Asia. In S. M. Y. Arafat & S. K. Kar (Eds.), Current Perspectives on Substance Use Disorders in South Asia (pp. 245–277). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-6619-2_13 Parate, N., Br, M., R, S., Narasimha, V. L., Mahadevan, J. , Chand, P., Murthy, P., & Arora, S. (2024). NAMAH—An Innovative Tele-ECHO Mentoring Program to Foster Well-being Among Physicians. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine , 02537176241287839. https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176241287839 Ritter, P., Glenn, T., Achtyes, E. D., Alda, M., Agaoglu, E., Altınbaş, K., Andreassen, O. A., Angelopoulos, E., Ardau, R., Aydin, M., Ayhan, Y., Baethge, C., Bauer, R., Baune, B. T., Balaban, C., Becerra-Palars, C., Behere, A. P., Behere, P. B., Belete, H., … Bauer, M. (2024). Association between a large change between the minimum and maximum monthly values of solar insolation and a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. International Journal of Bipolar Disorders , 12 (1), 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40345-024-00364-5 Shekar Mv, C., Bhargav, H., Holla, B., Mahadevan, J., Singh, A., Narasimha, V. L., Katla, N., Snigdha, A., S, K., & Maheswari, E. (2024). Efficacy of yoga-breath linked intervention to stop smoking (Y-BLISS) in reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day among smokers attempting to reduce or quit: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Wellcome Open Research , 9 , 693. https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.22839.1 Shivaprakash, P., Shukla, L., Joshi, S., Mahadevan, J. , Kandasamy, A., Chand, P. K., Benegal, V., & Murthy, P. (2025). Tapentadol as a drug of abuse – A preliminary report. Indian Journal of Psychiatry , 67 (2), 256–259. https://doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_794_24

Clinical Post Doctoral Fellow (Equivalent to Senior Resident, Psychiatry) chidatma.a@gmail.com ORCID ID: 0009-0005-1300-2317 Back Back to People Page Back Clinical Team Dr Chidatma A Clinical Post Doctoral Fellow (Equivalent to Senior Resident, Psychiatry) CBM Dr. Chidatma A is a Clinical Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Brain and Mind with an MD from Karnataka Medical College and Research Institute, ranked 4th at RGUHS. He has a strong background in community mental health, psychiatric training, and research. His work includes international presentations and published research, with a focus on neurobiology, schizophrenia, and psychopathology. Dr. Chidatma is passionate about advancing mental health care through clinical expertise and multidisciplinary collaboration.