The Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences had its humble beginning as Electroencephalography (EEG) department in 1948 with 6 channels and then 8 channels EEG equipment. The department was rechristened as Psychophysiology and Neurophysiology Labs in 1995 and recently as the Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences; each new name representing the phenomenal growth that this department has witnessed.

Presently the centre has two sections; a clinical section and a research section. The clinical section contains a 21 channels paper EEG, 32 channels QEEG, 40 channels video EEG and facilities for recording Electromyogram (EMG), Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV), Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER), and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR). The research section includes Dense array EEG acquisition systems (64, 128 and 192 channels), ERP acquisition units (40 channels), a polysomnography unit (40 channels) and a repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) unit. The centre has acquired advanced signal processing softwares like ASA, BESA, Neuroscan, Curry, Matlab and Mathematica.

The Centre runs a weekly Epilepsy Clinics in the Outpatient Department of the institute (Thursdays) and at Deepshikha, Ranchi (Wednesdays). Apart from clinical services a regular group therapy, public awareness programme and rural camps for case-identification and management are undertaken. For two years a self-help group for epilepsy has also been started. Pamphlets and handouts on various aspects of epilepsy have been prepared in Hindi.

The centre is promoting basic as well as clinical research. The impairment of cognitive processes in psychiatric disorders especially schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, OCD and alcohol dependence using ERP and power spectrum and coherence analysis of dense array EEGs has been studied. PharmacoEEG studies involving the effect of drugs like clozapine, aripiprazole and olanzapine on high density EEG signals has been studied. Recently, after the acquisition of the polysomnography unit, the impairment in the sleep architecture of patients with psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and alcohol dependence formed an interesting as well as daunting area of study at the centre. Therapeutic studies involving the effect of medications like zolpidem and olanzapine on the sleep architecture have been completed recently. The therapeutic potential of rTMS in a myriad of psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, OCD, bipolar disorder, alcohol dependence and epilepsy is being evaluated in the ongoing studies.
Given the exponential growth the centre has witnessed, it holds promise as a centre of excellence for cognitive neurosciences research in the country.