Dr. Balaji Jayaprakash
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor, Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science
Research: Learning and Memory
Post Doctoral Fellow with Prof. Silva, Department of Neurobiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, July 2007- Dec 2011
Post Doctoral Fellow with Prof. Ryan, Department of Biochemistry, Weil Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY – 10021. USA, 2005 – 2007
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Visiting Fellow, 2004 – 2005
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Ph.D. (Chemistry), 2004
Lab members
Himanshu Bansal
Sriji S Nath
Sriji joined the lab as a CSRI – DST post doctoral fellow in 2021. She completed PhD in Physiology from the Department of Physiology, AIIMS, New Delhi. During the PhD period, she worked on the role of thalamus in sleep wakefulness and gained expertise in electro physiological characterization of sleep in rodents. Currently she works on the behavioral, structural and molecular underpinnings of memory and learning in aging and rodent models of Alzhiemers disease.
Rajesh Mandal
Rajesh completed his B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering at the Central Institute of Technology in 2019, he pursued his M.Tech in Electronic Design & Technology at Tezpur University. In 2021, he joined this laboratory to delve into the field of Neuroscience.
Currently, his focus lies on a project centered around the design and development of noninvasive, portable opto-electronic devices. These devices are based on broadband functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) and are utilized for the detection of neuronal activity in various regions of the brain. His research interests primarily revolve around (fNIRS) and studying neuronal activity in terms of cellular metabolism pathways.
Aritra Dutta
He pursued his graduation in Microbiology from St Xaviers College, Kolkata (2015- 18) and his masters in Biotechnology from IIT Roorkee (2018- 20). He joined this lab as a graduate student in 2020 with the crave of having in depth understanding of how the brain functions especially in forming memory. He is interested in unraveling the mechanism of encoding information by the brain already primed with different experiences. It has been established that the molecular pathway responsible for encoding memories by the brain which has previously already acquired a similar experience is different from the pathway which gets activated for encoding a novel memory. He is working to understand how such memories formed by a novel experience and subsequent similar experience interact with each other by dissecting the underlying molecular pathway.
Nirupam Das
Nirupam joined our lab in 2018,after finishing his M.Sc in Zoology from Banaras Hindu University(2016-18).From his Master’s day he was interested to study animal behavior and underlying neuronal mechanisms, which motivated him to join our lab. Currently he is working on inhibitory neuronal networks,and its role in maintaining memory specificity, generalization and Higher-order associations. He is using chemogenetics and fiber-photometry techniques to selectively modulate the activity of inhibitory neurons ,and measure their activities in real-time.
Manish Prajapat
Manish completed his bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from the IIT Guwahati. Passionate to understand how the brain generates new information from existing knowledge motivated him to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience. His research explores the mechanisms that resolve the conflict that arises from the interplay between sensory inputs and memory-driven processes within the brain. He uses state-of-the-art methods to reactivate the memory cells in the brain to invoke conflict.
project assistants
Vaishnavi joined our lab as an intern in July 2023, she completed her Masters
in Neuroscience from Department of Anatomy, University of Madras. She has worked on the establishment and
feasibility study of radial arm water maze in the analysis of learning and
memory function parameters in rodents (rat) during her masters. Now she is
working as a project associate in the lab. Currently she is involved in setting
up the optical instrumentation to study the function of specific populations of
neurons.
Raniya Panali
Raniya completed her integrated BS-MS dual
degree from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research,
Thiruvananthapuram, majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Physics. During her
undergraduate studies, she explored a range of disciplines before discovering
her passion for Neuroscience. She is now a research assistant in the lab, where
her primary research focuses on understanding how localized strokes affect
learning and memory.
Interns
Aayush joined the lab as a research intern in August 2024 and is currently completing his final-year dissertation as part of the Integrated BS-MS Dual Degree programme in Biological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Berhampur, Odisha. His interest in neurobiology was cultivated during the early stages of his undergraduate studies, and he is committed to pursuing a career as a researcher in this field. Under the guidance of Nirupam Das, his current work focuses on elucidating the role of Parvalbumin-positive interneurons in regulating memory specificity and social behaviour.
Prisha joined the lab as an intern in May 2024. She is currently in her last year of Bachelor’s degree in B tech Biotechnology from Banasthali Vidyapith, Jaipur and is working for her final year dissertation project in our lab.
She has a deep interest in Neuroscience, with a particular focus on brain anatomy and its impact on behavior. Currently she is working with Ms. Vaishnavi on Observational and Social Interaction in mice. Her work explores on the underlying neural mechanisms, and how different brain regions contribute to learning, memory, and social behavior.
Arjun joined the lab as an intern in January 2024. He is currently pursuing his bachelor’s in biotechnology from PES University, Bangalore and is performing his final year dissertation in our lab. His past internships propelled him into the field of neuroscience, and he is motivated to pursue further research in this field.
Currently he is working with Rajesh Mandal to help develop a non-invasive optoelectronic device to study neuronal activity. His research interest mainly lies in the study of cellular metabolic pathways which are involved in the normal functioning of the brain.
Shreya began working in the lab as an intern in January 2024. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology at VIT University in Vellore and working on her final-year dissertation at our lab.
She has had profound interest in the field of Neuroscience right from a young age. Her primary interest lies in unraveling the neuronal circuitry involved in memory formation and retrieval. She is currently working with Aritra Dutta on Neuronal Underpinnings of related memories.
Aparajita joined the lab as an intern in December 2023. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Biotechnology from The Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, and is completing her final year dissertation in our lab.
She developed a keen interest in neuroscience at a young age and decided to work on memory circuits in the beginning of her bachelor’s. Currently, she’s working with Nirupam Das on mapping the different brain regions involved in Higher Order Associations.
Swati joined as an intern in the lab from January 2024. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Biotechnology from Dr. D.Y. Patil Biotechnology & Bioinformatics Institute, Pune and is working on the final year dissertation project.
She has always been interested in the intricacies of the brain, which propelled her to follow the passion in neuroscience. She is intrigued by the dynamics of memory and thus currently working with Aritra Dutta on the neuronal underpinnings of related memory.