The Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences (CIBS) at Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Kerala is a flagship research center established in 2022 to address fundamental and translational research questions in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. The center is dedicated to advancing the understanding of the underlying causes of neuropsychiatric disorders and developing innovative treatments to improve the lives of individuals affected by these conditions.
Our research involves delineating genetic and epigenetic basis of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, elucidating the molecular pathogenesis from genetic/epigenetic leads, characterizing electrophysiological correlates of cognition and behavior, evaluating sleep and circadian rhythm deficits in psychiatric disorders.
We employ interdisciplinary approaches with experts from the fields of psychiatry, neurology, psychology, genomics, molecular and cell biology, computer science, and statistics to address the research questions pertaining to biological basis of behavior. Through cutting-edge research and collaboration with leading experts in the field, we strive to shed light on the complex mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and pave the way for new and effective treatments. The laboratories was set up as a part of the Centre of Excellence grant from the Government of India.
Founding Director:
Prof (Dr). Krishnakumar Padinharath, was the Founding Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences (CIBS) at IMHANS from 2022 to 2025. A distinguished professor and research investigator, he played a pivotal role in establishing the center’s vision of integrating clinical psychiatry with cutting-edge neuroscience research. His leadership laid the foundation for CIBS’s multidisciplinary approach to understanding and addressing neuropsychiatric disorders.
Research Projects:
| Investigators | Project | Funding agency |
|---|---|---|
| PI: Rajith K Ravindren, Co-PI: Shabeesh Balan | Genetics of Childhood –Onset Schizophrenia | Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, (2024) |
| PI: Rajith K Ravindren, Co-PI: Shabeesh Balan | Genetics of Circadian Rhyhtm deficits in ADHD | Department of Science & Technology (DST)-Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Core Research Grant (CRG), Government of India, (2023) |
| PI: Shabeesh Balan, Co-PI: Rajith K Ravindren | Pharmacoresistance in Obsessive Compulsive disorders | Department of Science & Technology (DST)-Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Core Research Grant (CRG), Government of India, (2023) |
| PI: Nishanth JH , Co-PI: Shabeesh Balan, Rajith K Ravindren | Genetic characterisation of inherited somniloquy | Department of Science & Technology (DST)-Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) State University Research Excellence (SURE), Government of India, (2023) |
| PI: Rajith K Ravindren, Co-PI: Shabeesh Balan, Anish P K | Elucidating the mechanistic role of sleep quality for elevated carbonyl stress in schizophrenia | Science Research Scheme (SRS), Kerala State Council for Science, Technology & Environment (KSCSTE), India, (2023) |
| PI: Rajith K Ravindren, Co-PI: Shabeesh Balan | Molecular genetics of Tourette Syndrome | State Board for Medical Research (SBMR), Kerala, India, (2022) |
| PI: Rajith K Ravindren, Co-PI: Midhun S, Krishnakumar P | Vitamin D deficiency in patients with schizophrenia and Autism | State Board for Medical Research (SBMR), Kerala, India, (2022) |
| PI: Shabeesh Balan , Co-PI: Rajith K Ravindren | Synergestic effect of genetic risk factor and the carbonyl stress in schizophrenia | Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India, (2021) |
Facilities:
The laboratory has a state-of-the-art facility to address research questions to elucidate the pathogenesis of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders and for advanced clincal diagnosis.
Molecular biology: Sanger sequencer, Thermal cyclers (normal and Realtime), Flouroscent microscope, Plate readers, Basic molecular biology and microbiology facility, Stem cell biology laboratory
Neurophysiology: Video Electroencephalography (EEG), Polysomnography (PSG), Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA), Visual Evoked Potential (VEP), Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS) and Electromyography (EMG)
Members:
Shabeesh Balan, Ph.D.
Research Investigator
Scientist D (Department of Health Research NRI Faculty Fellow)
IMHANS
Email
Rajith K Ravindren, M.D
Research Investigator
(Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, IMHANS)
Email
Anusree A Kumar, M.Sc.
Project Fellow
(KSCSTE project) - Schizophrenia, sleep and carbonyl stress
Email
Aisha Shaju, M.Sc.
Junior Research Fellow
(ANRF project 1) - Pharmaco-epigenomics of Obsessive Compulsive disorders (OCD)
Email
Jasmine John, M.Sc.
Junior Research Fellow
(ANRF project 2) - Genetics of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders
Email
Varun T K, M.Sc.
Project Fellow
(SERB-SURE project) - Genetics of Somniloquoy
Email
Ranjitha M, M.Sc.
Technician – Cytogenetics,
Genetic counselor (Board of Genetic Counseling certfied; Level- 1)
Email
Fathimath Najiya, D.N.T.
Laboratory Assistant - Neurophysiology
Email
Visiting researchers:
Shilpa O, PhD
Visiting Researcher (Post-doctoral fellow),
Department of Biotechnology,
University of Calicut, Kozhikode
Email
Nishanth J. H, M.D
Visiting Researcher,
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry,
Government Medical College, Kozhikode
Email
Midhun S, M.D
Visiting Researcher
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry,
Government Medical College, Kozhikode
Email
Alumni:
| Name | Role | Year | Current Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mubashira V | Junior Research Fellow (DHR Project) | 2022 -2024 | Dubai, UAE |
| Niketha Manoj | Junior Research Fellow (SERB Project) | 2023 -2024 | Graduate Student (NIT-Calicut, Kerala) |
| Shibila A M | Technical Assistant (Electrophysiology) | 2019 -2025 | Electrophysiologist, Dubai, UAE |
Selected Publications:
2025
- Sreekumar, S., A. Lijiya, and R.K. Ravindren, (2025). Bridging the Gap: Cognitive Science Perspectives and Artificial Intelligence for Prediction and Detection of Specific Learning Disabilities. IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems; p. 1-16.
2024
- Rajith, K.R. #, Rajesh, T.V., Shibila, A., Neetha, B., Prasad, T.V., Sajin, A.V., Arun, K.A., Suja, M., Krishnakumar, P., and Balan, S.# (2024). Sequential Presentation of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Narcolepsy in a Ten-Year-Old Girl with Wolfram Syndrome 1. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease; 212 (7), 403-405
- Jouhar, H.A., P. Krishnakumar, and K.R. Ravindren# (2024), Montelukast-Induced Behavioral Problems in a Child With Bronchial Asthma. The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders; 26(5)
- Rajith, R.K.#, Suja, M., and Krishnakumar, P. (2024). Obsessive-compulsive disorder in a very young child. Industrial Psychiatry Journal.; 33 (2), 421-422
2023
- Balaram, N.# , Jose, J., Gafoor, A., Balachandran, S., Saritha, F., Dileep, K.V. & Balan, S#. (2023) Acetazolamide responsive early-onset absence epilepsy and ataxia in a toddler with a KCNA2 genetic variant; a case report. Seizure; 110, 157 - 159
- Nishanth, J. H., Balan, S., Rajith, R.K.# (2023) Fluoxetine induced acute urinary retention in a child with depression, The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders;15;25(3):22cr03404
- Jyrwa, S., Shibukumar, T., Thavody, J., Anish, P., Bina, T., Rajith, K., Banandur, P.S., Rao, G.N., Gururaj, G., and Varghese, M. (2023). Mental health morbidities in Kerala, India: Insights from National Mental Health Survey, 2015–2016. Indian Journal of Psychiatry 65, 1289-1296.
2022
- Rajith, R.K.#, Krishnakumar, P., Danish, E., Dhanasooraj, D., Ranjitha, M., & Midhun, S. (2022) Serum vitamin D level in patients with schizophrenia: A community-based study, Indian Journal of Medical Research; 156(1):157-160
- Rajith RK, Krishnakumar P.# (2022) Clinical profile of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care; 11(1): 251-255.
- Rajith, K.R.#, Ashokkumar, P., Anish, P., Gangadharan, A., Neeny, P., Krishnakumar, P., and Tom, J. (2022). Perception of doctors and patients regarding telepsychiatry services during the COVID-19 pandemic: Experience from the state of Kerala, India. Kerala Journal of Psychiatry 35, 122-130.
2021
- Balan, S.#, Iwayama, Y., Ohnishi, T., Fukuda, M., Shirai, A., Yamada, A., Weirich, S., Schuhmacher, M. S., Vijayan, D. K., Endo, T., Hisano, Y., Kotoshiba, K., Toyota, T., Otowa, T., Kuwabara, H., Tochigi, M., Watanabe, A., Ohba, Maekawa, M., Toyoshima, M., Sasaki, T., Nakamura, K., Tsujii, M., Matsuzaki, H., Zhang, K. Y. J., Jeltsch, A., Shinkai, Y., & Yoshikawa, T # (2021), A loss of function variant in SUV39H2 identified in autism spectrum disorder causes altered H3K9-trimethylation and dysregulation of protocadherin β cluster genes in the developing brain, Molecular Psychiatry, 26, 7550–7559
- Hara, T., Toyoshima, M., Hisano, Y., Balan, S., Iwayama, Y., Aono, H., Futamura, Y., Osada, H., Owada, Y., & Yoshikawa, T. (2021), Glyoxalase I disruption and external carbonyl stress impair mitochondrial function in human induced pluripotent stem cells and derived neurons, Translational Psychiatry, 11, 275
- Balan, S., Ohnishi, T., Watanabe, A., Ohba, H., Iwayama, Y., Toyoshima, M., Hara, T., Hisano, Y., Miyasaka, Y., Toyota, T., Shimamoto-Mitsuyama, C., Maekawa, M., Numata, S., Ohmori, T., Shimogori, T., Kikkawa, Y., Hayashi, T. & Yoshikawa, T. (2021) Role of an atypical cadherin gene, Cdh23 in prepulse inhibition and implication of CDH23 in schizophrenia, Schizophrenia Bulletin, 47; 4, 1190–1200.
Collaborations:
- Dr Anish PK, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience
- Dr Varsha Vidyadharan, Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College Calicut, Kerala
- Dr Divya MS, Department of Pathology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Kerala
- Dr Dileep KV, Laboratory for Computational and Structural Biology, Jubilee Mission Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Kerala
- Dr Neetha Balaram, Department of Neurology, Government Medical College Calicut, Kerala
Diagnostic Services:
- Karyotyping: Peripheral blood chromosomal analysis for detecting numerical and structural chromosome abnormalities.
- Mutation Analysis: Genotyping service for genetic variants.
- Genetic counselling: Genetic counselling services for patients and at-risk individuals.