Scientific Work

Research

Research projects, collaborations, textbooks, monographs, and publications from the NIMHANS Brain Bank.

Core Research Areas

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Epilepsy & Genetics

Molecular profiling of temporal lobe epilepsy; progressive myoclonic epilepsy genetics; calcium sensing receptor mutations in idiopathic generalised epilepsy.

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Neuro-infections

HIV encephalitis, tuberculous meningitis, rabies, cerebral malaria, cryptococcal meningitis, SSPE, CMV, and toxoplasmosis using postmortem brain tissue.

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Neurodegeneration & Ageing

Histological and biochemical analysis of human brain in ageing; ApoE polymorphism in head injury; GDNF receptor expression in nigral neurons; lead-induced DNA damage.

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Molecular Neuropathology

Xenobiotic metabolism in brain; proteomic studies of viral encephalitis; BCAS3 WD40 protein expression; lipid-protein complexes in signal transduction.

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Stem Cell & Developmental Biology

Neural stem cell studies; developmental and pathological expression studies using fetal and paediatric specimens.

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Multi-institutional Collaborations

38 recent research collaborations from 2021-2026 with NIMHANS departments and national/international partner institutions.

Research Tables

Browse project lists and academic outputs by category.

Non Funded Projects

23 projects

S. No	Project Name and Details
1	Molecular Profiling of Temporal Lobe epilepsy PI: Dr.Akhilesh Pandey, Institute of Bioinformatics, Bangalore Co-PI: Dr.SK Shankar, Dept of Neuropathology and Prof P Satishchandra, Dept of Neurology, NIMHANS
2	Towards new diagnostics of tuberculosis: detection of antibody to mycobacterium tuberculosis in CSF of Tuberculous meningitis patients. PI: Dr. A Chandramuki, Prof & Head, Department of Neuromicrobiology, NIMHANS, Bangalore.
3	Changes in Brain Gene Expression following infections by neurotropic viruses. PI: Prof.P.N.Rangarajan, Dept of biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore / HBTR, NIMHANS
4	Trace metal estimation in CSF. PI: Dr.V. Krishnamurthy, Assistant Director, Regional Occupational Health Centre, (Southern), Bangalore, ICMR / HBTR, NIMHANS.
5	Genetics of progressive Myoclonic Epilepsy in the Indian population. PI: Dr.S.Ganesh, Asst Prof. Dept of Biological Sciences & Bio-Engineering, IIT, Kanpur / Prof.P.Satishchandra, Dept of Neurology & HBTR, NIMHANS.
6	Molecular correlation of pathological features in CNS infections in HIV - Cerebral toxoplasmosis and CMV encephalitis Pl: Jayashree RS, Prof, Dept of Microbiology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore/ HBTR, NIMHANS Co-PI: Dr.SK Shankar, Dr.Anita Mahadevan, Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore
7	Seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis, CMV and VZV in adult, health, voluntary blood donors in Karnataka. PI: Dr. Sundar Periyavan, Transfusion Medicine Centre, Dept of Neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore. Co-PI: Dr.SK Shankar, Dr.Anita Mahadevan, Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore
8	Biochemical and histological analysis of human brain in ageing and neurodegeneration PI: Dr.Srinivas Bharath, Asst Professor, Dept of Neurochemistry, NIMHANS, Bangalore Co-PI: Dr.SK Shankar, Professor, Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore
9	ApoE genetic polymorphism and its association with outcome in cases of traumatic head injury Collaboration with Prof.B.K.Thelma Kutappa, Dept of Human Genetics, Delhi University and Prof. B A Chandramouli and Dr. Nupur Pruthi, Dept of neurosurgery, NIMHANS, HBTR, Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS).
10	Ageing changes in microglia in Hippocampus- Frontal Cortex PI: Dr.Nisha Patro and Ishan Patro, School of Studies in Neurosciences, Jiwaji University, Gwalior, MP, and HBTR, Department of Neuropathology NIMHANS, Bangalore).
11	Molecular Studies on Lead (Pb) levels, DNA topology and cellular damage in ageing human brain. PI: Dr.K.S.Jagannatha Rao, CFTRI Mysore, Dr .M.M.Shama Sundar, Department Anatomy, J.S.S.Medical College, Mysore, HBTR, Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore.
12	Role of Cerebral cysticercosis in the evolution of epileptic focus in the Brain. PI: Dr.Ishan Patro, School of Studies in Neuroscience, Jiwaji University, Gwalior HBTR, Dept. of Neuropathology, NIMHANS
13	Expanded conceptor use of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1, subtype C molecular clones isolated from an Indian demented subject - implications for HIV-1 associated dementia. PI: Dr.Ranga Uday Kumar, JNCASR Co-PI: Dr.P.Satishchandra, Dept. of Neurology, NIMHANS, Dr.Anita Mahadevan and Dr.S.K.Shankar, HBTR, Dept. of Neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore.
14	Developmental and pathological expression of BCAS3, a conserved WD40 protein. PI: Dr. Maneesha S.Inamdar, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore Co-PI: HBTR, Dept of neuropathology, Bangalore
15	Phylogenetic study of measles virus and molecular genetic identification of genotype D7 in a ultra short case of SSPE from South India. PI: Dr.Niteen S.Wairagnar, National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune Co-PI: HBTR, Dept of neuropathology, Bangalore
16	Mutations at the extracellular calcium sensing Receptor gene, CSAR in the idiopathic generalized epilepsy. PI: Dr.Anuranjan Anand, Dr.Ashish Kapoor, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, JNCASR; Co-PI: Prof.P.Satishchandra, Dept. of Neurology, NIMHANS, Dr.J.Kadandale Centre for Human Genetics, ITPB
17	Tuberculous Meningitis: Immunodiagnosis and Cytokine studies PI: Collaboration with Dr. Sripad Patil, Additional Professor, Neuromicrobiology Co-PI: Dr.Anita Mahadevan, Dr. S.K.Shankar, HBTR, Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore
18	Cytokine response in tropical infections of relevance to India including Rabies, cerebral malaria and Cryptococcal Meningitis. PI: Dr. Sripad Patil, Additional Professor, Neuromicrobiology Co-PI: Dr.Anita Mahadevan, Dr. Suja M and Dr. S.K.Shankar, Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore
19	Lafora body disease - role of Malin and ubiquitin-proteosome pathway in pathogenesis PI: Dr.Nihar Rejan Jena, Dr,Sudheendra Rao National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon Co_PI: Dr.SK Shankar, Prof & head, HBTR, Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore
20	Expression of GDNF receptors is preserved in nigral dopaminergic neurons of normally aging humans. PI: Dr. Alladi Phalguni Anand, Department of Neurophysiology, NIMHANS, Bangalore Co-PI: Dr.Anita Mahadevan, Dr. S.K.Shankar, HBTR, Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore
21	Idiopathic Epilepsy Syndrome - Gene locus in chromosome 3q13.3-q21 and patient specific mutation in calcium sensing Receptor gene. PI: Dr.Anuranjan Anand, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, JNCASR, Bangalore Co-PI: Prof P.Satishchandra, Department of Neurology, NIMHANS and Dr.SK Shankar, HBTR, Department of neuropathology, NIMHANS, Bangalore.
22	Role of lipid - protein complexes in signal transduction in brain. PI: Dr.Preethi Joshi, Department of Biophysics, NIMHANS
23	Proteomic studies of rabies viral encephalitis Collaboration with Institute of Bioinformatics with HBTR, NIMHANS, Bangalore

Research Collaborations 2021-2026

38 projects

S. No	Project and Investigator
38	Effect of yoga and meditation on Neurogenesis: morphological and electrophysiological evolution of the human hippocampus obtained during epilepsy surgery Dr.Bhupesh Mehta Asst.Professor Dept of Biophysics NIMHANS Bangalore – 560 029
37	To study molecular mechanisms of meningioma progression. Prof. P . Prakash Babu, School of Life Sciences, South Campus , University of Hyderabad
36	Evaluation of the post-translational modification Cross talks over critical human microglial biomarkers contributing to its plasticity under neurological disorder conditions’. Dr. Soumy Pati, Department Of Life Sciences, School Of Natural Sciences , Shiv Nadar University, Uttar Pradesh
35	An integrated approach to study the effect of trace elements on the proteome of schizophrenia. Dr. M M Srinivas Bharath, HOD Department Of Pharmacology & Neurotoxicology, NIMHANS
34	Fate of glymphatic system in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dr. Nagesh Shanghag, Iben Lundgaard, Lund University,Sweden
33	Study of genomics trajectories as a function of age. Dr.Meera Purushotham Senior Scientific Officer, Department Of Psychiatry, Nimhans
32	Therapeutic role of connexin 43 in restricting murine-beta-corona virus spread & infectivity Dr. Jayasri Das Sharma Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences IISER Kolkata
31	Investigation of effect of ApoE allelic status on NDP52 mediated autophagic clearance of tauopathy in Alzheimer’s Disease Dr. Sachin Tiwari S, Assistant Professor, Dept of Bioscience and Bioengineering, IIT, Roorkee
30	Identification of Human Long non-coding RNA localized at the synapsis Dr. Sourav Banerjee NBRC, Manesar Haryana
29	Genetics of bipolar disorder & related illness; a study of intermediate alleles in candidate genes with repeat expansion loci Dr. Meera Purushottam Senior Scientific Officer Molecular Genetics Lab Dept. of Psychiatry, NIMHANS
28	Evaluation of True NAT and LN34 PCR Assays for detection of Rabies Virus and Various clinical Specimens Dr. Reeta Mani, Professor, Dept of Neurovirology, NIMHANS, Bangalore
27	Cellular immune profiles as a surrogate for early diagnosis of Tuberculous meningitis and a study on Neuropathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis’. Dr. H.B. Veena Kumar, Professor, Dept. of Neuromicrobiology, NIMHANS
26	Bipolar Disorder – Specific and Cross Disorder Polygenic Risk Score to predict deviation in the Neurotrajectories across Life Span and Cellular Phenotype Dr. Meera Purushottam, Senior Scientific Officer, Molecular Genetics Lab, Dept of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bangalore
25	Assessment of the role of miRNA’s in neuro development and cognition with focus on externalizing disorders Dr. Chetan G K, Professor, Dept of Human Genetics, NIMHANS
24	Analysis of the role of coronin-1 signaling pathway in glioblastoma through a system medicineapproach Dr. Nandakumar D.N, Professor and Head, Dept of Neurochemistry, NIMHANS
23	Analysis of Molecular Variations in Epilepsy caused by focal cortical dysplasia through multi-omics approach Dr. T S Keshava Prasad Professor & Deputy Director Yenepoya DU
22	Analysis of brain specific miRNAs in patients with Traumatic Brain Injury Dr. Chetan G K, Professor, Dept of Human Genetics, NIMHANS
21	Study in the alterations of kynurenine pathway metabolites in schizophrenia and investigation therapeutic implications of risperidone Dr. Gokula Krishnan, Professor, Dept of Neurochemistry, NIMHANS
20	The Sensitive Period of the Human Auditory Cortex – Neuroanatomical Studies Dr. Sowmya Iyengar Scientist VI, NBRC Haryana
19	Analysis of Mitochondrial Alterations in Glioblastoma cells derived from Primary cultures Dr. Shilpa Rao Associate Professor Dept. of Neuropathology, NIMHANS
18	Integrative Multi-Omics Approach to Uncovers Biomarkers of Glioma Recurrence Dr. Syed Sultan Beevi Principal Scientist, KIMS Foundation & Research Centre, Secunderabad, Telangana- 500003
17	Molecular characterisation of JC virus from post-mortem samples Dr. Reeta Mani Professor & HOD Dept of Neurovirology, NIMHANS
16	Study of molecular cascades involved in synaptic dysfunction and cell death in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease Dr. Reddy Kommaddi CBR, IISc, Bangalore
15	A comprehensive investigation into focal malformations of cortical development by ultra-deep sequencing and deep phenotyping in drug-resistant epilepsy Dr. Gautham Arunachal Udupi, Associate Professor, Department of Human Genetics, NIMHANS
14	Understanding the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 mediated neuronal death in COVID-19 Dr. Pankaj Seth Senior Professor, NBRC Haryana
13	Exploring the evolving cellular and molecular landscape of brain ageing using Indian post-mortem tissues from healthy controls Dr. Poulomi Banerjee Principal Scientist - Stem cell & Neuroscience St. Johns Research Institute, Bangalore
12	Gene Expression Profiling in Post Mortem tissue of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patients Dr. Saraswati Nashi Associate Professor Department of Neurology, NIMHANS
11	Targeting endosomal NHE9 for early diagnosis and therapy in Alzheimer’s disease Dr. Hari Prasad Senior Research Scientist CBR, IISc, Bangalore
10	Understanding the alternative splicing landscape during human brain development Dr. Sagar Sengupta Director, NIBMG KlayaniKalyani, West Bengal
9	Brain Injury: Epigenetic Signatures and Gene Expression Changes in Live Brain Tissue to Study the Effect of Alcohol Dr. Biju Viswanath Additional Professor Dept of Biophysics, NIMHANS
8	Development of an indigenous imaging-based intraoperative probe for brain tumour delineation Dr. Karla P. Mercado-Shekhar Associate Professor Biological Sciences & Engineering
7	Development of novel near infrared fluorescence imaging probes for detecting amyloid beta species in the eyes of Alzheimer’s disease animals model Dr. Gyan Prakash Modi, Assistant Professor, Dept. Of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, IIT (BHU) Varanasi
6	Comparing molecular profiles of Focal cortical dysplasia and Ganglioglioma using transcriptomics and miRNA analysis Dr. Anita Mahadevan Professor Department of Neuropathology, NIMHANS
5	Deciphering the drivers of vascular pathologies causing synaptic dysfunction leading to mixed dementia and Alzheimer's disease Dr. Latha Diwakar Senior Scientific Officer CBR, IISc, Bangalore
4	Somatic mosaicism in Neuropsychiatric illness Dr. Biju Viswanath Additional Professor Dept of Psychiatry, NIMHANS
3	A qualitative study to determine the age-effects of neuronal structure, aggregation-prone proteins and autophagy markers in autopsied tissue of human locus coeruleus Dr. Phalguni Alladi Scientist G Department of CPNT, NIMHANS, Bengaluru - 560029
2	Exploring the pathobiology of brain aging in Indian population: developing a public domain reference atlas and spatial transcriptomie facility for aging research Dr. Suvendu Parkait Department of pathology and lab medicine AIIMS Bhubaneswar
1	Investigating the altered expression levels of Astroglial & Oligodendroglial connexins in Alzheimer Disease Brains Dr. Mahua Maulik NIBMG KlayaniKalyani, West Bengal

Textbooks and Monographs

10 entries

S. No	Name and Details
1	Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Indian perspective. Satishchandra P, Anita Mahadevan, SK Shankar. In: Progress in Clinical Neurosciences, VS Mehta, UK Mishra (eds). vol. XVI, 2001. Neurological Society of India, New Delhi.
2	Pathology of cerebral vasculature in Neurotuberculosis - some observations. SK Shankar, Vani Santosh, Anita Mahadevan, TC Yasha, P Satishchandra. In: Progress in Clinical Neurosciences, VS Mehta, UK Mishra (eds). vol. XVI, 2001. Neurological Society of India, New Delhi.
3	Molecular understanding of Aluminium Bio inorganic chemistry in relevance to the Pathology of Alzheimer's Disease. S Anitha, P Shanmugavelu, Valeswara Rao, Gazula, SK Shankar, Ravi B Menon, RV Rao, Jagannatha KS Rao, Luigi Zecca : American Chemical Society Symposium series 822. Group 13 Chemistry. From Fundamentals to Applications. Edt.Shapiro PJ, Atwood DA. American Chemical Society, Washington. 2002. Chapter-16, p228-245
4	Shankar SK, Yasha TC. Neuropathology of Dementia. In: Handbook of Dementia, 2nd Edition. Kar N (eds). 2010.
5	Satishchandra P, Shankar SK, Anita Mahadevan. "Creutzfeldt - Jacob Disease", Dementia Decoded Manjari Tripathi (Ed), Kontentwork 2014.
6	Anita Venketaramana, Nicoline Schiess, Anita Mahadevan, Shankar SK, Avindra Nath. Rabies. In: Clinical Infectious Diseases, Editor: David Schlossberg, Cambridge University Press, New York, NY (In Press)
7	Shankar S.K, Anita Mahadevan, Suresh Parmar. Histological Atlas of Common Infections of the Nervous System with Teaching Slides. Human Brain Tissue Repository, NIMHANS-ICMR, 2014.
8	Shankar S.K. in "Slow Virus Infections and Prion Diseases" API Textbook of Medicine (2 vols) 10th Edition, Editor: Y.P.Munjal, 2015
9	Madakasira VP, Srivastava, Deepa Dash, Anita Mahadevan, Shankar SK. "Current concepts of Ischaemic Stroke", Neurology in Tropics, 2nd Edition, Elsevier: 2015.
10	Anita Mahadevan, Satishchandra P, Shankar SK, "Measles Pathobiology and Central nervous system complications",Neurology in Tropics, 2nd Edition, Elsevier: 2015

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