Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences

The Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences, established in 1948 as the Electroencephalography (EEG) Department, has been a pioneer in the field of neuroscience research in India. Over the years, the Centre has grown and expanded, changing its name to the Psychophysiology and Neurophysiology. Laboratory in 1995 and then to the Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences in 2004. In 2012, it was renamed again as the K S Mani Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences in the honour of Professor K S Mani, who has been a pioneer in the field of neuroscience in India. The centre currently has multiple modalities of investigational and treatment tools raging from EEG, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Noninvasive brain stimulation techniques and the state of the art neuroplasticity lab.

Electroencephalography Lab

Centre does routine clinical activities as well as research studies pertaining to psychiatric disorders. The clinical section is equipped with advanced diagnostic tools, including a 21-channel paper electroencephalogram, a 32-channel quantitative electroencephalogram, and a 40-channel video electroencephalogram, as well as equipment for recording an electromyogram (EMG), nerve conduction velocity (NCV), visual evoked potentials (VEP), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP), brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER), and the galvanic skin response (GSR). The research section boasts cutting-edge technology, including Dense Array EEG acquisition systems with 64, 128, and 192 channels, Evoked Response Potential (ERP) acquisition units with 40 and 128 channels, a 40-channel polysomnography (PSG) unit, and two state-of-the-art repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) units. The Centre has also acquired advanced signal processing software such as Advanced Source Analysis (ASA), Brain Electrical Source Analysis (BESA), Neuroscan, Curry, Matlab, and Mathematica, which are used to analyze and interpret EEG and ERP data. The Centre is a hub of research activity, with several theses and dissertations being completed each year on topics related to electroencephalography and evoked potentials. Our researchers have made significant contributions to the field of neuroscience, including studies on impairments of cognitive processes in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and substance dependence using event-related potentials, power spectrum and coherence analyses of dense array EEGs. The Centre has also conducted pharmaco-EEG studies involving the effect of various drugs like aripiprazole, clozapine, and olanzapine on high-density EEG signals, and ongoing studies on lithium and clozapine. With the acquisition of the polysomnography unit, our researchers are now exploring the impairment in sleep architecture of patients with psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, mood disorders, and substance dependence. Therapeutic studies involving the effect of medications like zolpidem, milnacipran, and olanzapine on sleep architecture have been completed. The therapeutic potential of rTMS in many psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, OCD, bipolar disorder, alcohol and opioid dependence, and epilepsy, has also been investigated.

Brain stimulation lab

The Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences has recently expanded its facilities to include a dedicated state-of-the-art brain stimulation lab, offering a range of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) modalities for both clinical and research purposes. Among these modalities is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has been proven effective in treating various psychiatric disorders. The TMS lab at the Centre boasts a device that can deliver superficial stimulation through figure-of-8 coils and double cone coils, as well as options for non-invasive deep brain stimulation through Brainsway H1 and H7 coils. To further improve the precision of treatment, the lab also features neuronavigation-guided target localization. Moreover, the Centre has set up a robotized neuronavigation system for delivering TMS, which is the first of its kind in the country. The TMS lab is actively used for routine clinical use in treating conditions like OCD, depression, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. Additionally, the lab conducts research activities that pertain to both investigational and treatment aspects of TMS. The inclusion of the TMS lab at the Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences is a testament to its commitment to advancing the field of cognitive neuroscience in India. With its advanced equipment and cutting-edge research, the Centre continues to be a leader in the study and treatment of psychiatric disorders in the country. The centre has an array of high-end non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation(tES) research equipments capable of delivering conventional and high-definition direct current, alternate current and random noise stimulation, selectively targeting various brain regions of interest, in a plethora of psychiatric illnesses.

Neuroplasticity lab

The Neuroplasticity lab is a state-of-the-art, one of its kind in the country, which essentially intends to amalgamate signal acquisition and stimulation in a desirable simulated environment tailor made to probe the specific clinical or physiological variable under study. The lab is equipped with a 64-channel EEG, 32-channel fNIRS and a neurobiofeedback system: all wireless systems for optimizing the simulated environment. The simulation is provided by the audio-visual display screens surrounding the walls and roof of the lab with the patient seated in the centre of the floor on an ergonomic chair. Selective non-invasive brain stimulation (t-DCS, t-ACS or t-RNS) can be delivered alongside the acquisition, simultaneously, while the patient is engrossed in the simulation to putatively modulate the active brain areas efficiently.

Precision neuromodulation lab

CIP has also been a pioneer in the emerging concept of ‘precision neuromodulation’. Precision neuromodulation recognises that the brain of one individual differs from another, both in structure and function, and therefore seeks to tailor stimulation to suit each subject. We use the GTEN 200 Neuromodulation Research System, the first of its kind in India, which combines high-resolution electroencephalography (HR-EEG) and neuromodulation in a single platform. The system merges MRI and EEG data to create an accurate model of each subject’s head, so that neuromodulation in the form of tDCS or tACS, can be given to target brain regions with maximum precision.

Clinical activities

In addition to our research activities, the Centre runs a weekly Epilepsy Clinic in the Outpatient Department of the Institute every Thursday, and at Deepshikha, ICD & MH, Ranchi every Wednesday. We also organize regular group therapies, public awareness programs, and rural camps. For more than a decade now, a self-help group for epilepsy patients has been running under the guidance of the Centre.