Skip to main content

About Mind Brain Center at Amrita

Image
By

 

About

At the Amrita Mind Brain Center, we explore the brain and mind organization and function using experimental methods, computational neuroscience, and cognitive modelling from an interdisciplinary perspective going through the effects of neurotransmitters, network dynamics, and behaviour, during normal and disease conditions. Our researchers jointly work with the School of Medicine, School of Engineering, School of Biotechnology, School of Ayurveda, and School of Spiritual and Cultural Studies, relating brain and mind on various topics. 



The brain responds differently in each situation based on previous experiences. The mind is responsible for our thoughts, emotions, and decisions made by our brain. When the mind and brain pool together, it undergoes complex neuroplastic changes, including cellular, genetic, neurochemical, and electromagnetic changes. Higher-level processes related to conscious and unconscious states of mind are enclosed within lower-level processes associated with brain circuits. To understand how and why brain activities are connected to consciousness, it is necessary to map both the bottom-up and top-down functions of the brain and mind, as well as their mutual influence.

Block Image
Our research focuses on understanding various aspects, from sub-cellular and neural changes to emergent activity in different brain areas. We also test hypotheses by modelling neural networks in various regions of the brain, both cellular and circuit connections, to understand the flow of signals transmission, and study the contribution of consciousness using EEG and fMRI studies. We also look into modelling various neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s to identify exact mechanisms or how they implicate neurons at different brain regions involved in cognitive functioning.

Our center also focuses on developing advancements in brain-computer interface (BCI) techniques using EEG and other methods. Using neuroimaging techniques, we explore the brain under yoga, meditation, and the effect of music and generate data for direct brain-to-device control strategies that show promise towards applications in humanitarian challenges.

The Center has been developing virtual and online laboratories as part of a National Mission funded by India’s Ministry of Education and has been studying pedagogical impacts on online and classroom-based learners and educators. The center coordinates a Multi-Scale Brain Function India-Italy Network of Excellence and collaborates with the University of Milan, the University of Pavia and the University of Modena and Emiglia Romagna, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad. The center was the first Indian partner of the Human Brain Project and participated in the “BOLDSim” voucher call. The Center is also part of the WeNet-The Internet of Us H2020 project coordinated by the University of Trento in Italy.    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Virtual Labs – A platform for remote e-learning

By
India has been constantly growing mobilization of resources and introducing new initiatives to improve accessibility and enhance education in the University sector in the last decades and progress has been made with considerable variations [1]. Most universities in both urban and rural areas are striving to achieve good quality education with their major limitations being organizing or accessing a standard laboratory environment and lack of technically skilled personnel in the field of biotechnology education [2]. Also, majority of schools in remote areas lack good teachers, good laboratories and other facilities for teaching [3]. Laboratory experiences are vital components in teaching biology courses to apply the theoretical knowledge to practice, in fields such as biotechnology, physical sciences and chemical sciences. To revolutionize the problems in the current trend of education, virtual laboratories are becoming a new technology that have a promising role in supporting the ed...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hermitage San Paolo of Marchirolo

By
Visiting historic sites has been a wonderful pastime.  Northern Italy is famous for many such places. Not too far from Milan is Varese, a city with a lot of history, which is now a buzz place for many who prefer to live close to the Switzerland. A few kilometers from Varese is a small village called Marchirolo. Driving 30km from Varese city one is welcomed by meandering roads taking us to small and ancient villages occupied by hermitages of the past. Welcoming sight at Marchirolo is the Church of San Martino. Church of San Martino History reads that The parish church of San Martino di Marchirolo was created August 19, 1633 by the bishop of Como, Lazarus Carafino. San Martino church from the side as one takes the "Mulotteria" to San Paolo hermitage Bell tower of San Martino church It is a walk of 55min on a mulatteria (an old expression of saying a route meant for weight-bearing mules in the past). The walk is not treacherous but climbs rapidly and the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

ideal phd mentor

By
Taken from here . Here's the transcript: The Ideal PhD Mentor--A Student's Perspective "Ideally, the supervisor should be an expert teacher, a mentor, and a facilitator to catalyze the student's professional growth, such that the student's accomplishment is limited only by the extent of his or her ability." "But aren't you supposed to find this out yourself? You are already a postgraduate!" Those were the familiar words of my graduate supervisor in response to my often-desperate requests for quick solutions to my research problems. I must have been exceptionally inquisitive, but my supervisor's answer was always frustrating for me, the product of a well-established undergraduate system where practically everything was given to me on a plate. We had all the handouts to refer to, and if we still did not follow, we could always access and review the lecture slides or simply ask the tutors during the many tutorials following the lectures. But the...
Post a Comment
Read more