Cajal Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (CIMHANS)

 

 

 

About Us

 

CIMHANS aims to bring together state of the art neuroscience research and development towards the benefit of patients.

A multi speciality neuroscience center that brings advanced imaging and neurosurgical tools to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment to patients with neurological ailments. Along with tertiary care center and hospital CIMHANS also engages on the forefront of medical research on mental health and neurosciences. The research division at CIMHANS operates through two of its centers of excellence.

 

Brain Repair and Rehabilitation Institute

 

The Brain Repair and Rehabilitation Institute aims to understand mechanisms underlying neurological diseases and develop new treatments for patients with neurological conditions.

The mission of the center is the translation of biomedical knowledge to clinical practice, to lessen the impact of neurological dysfunction on patients.

Brain Repair and Rehabilitation brings together several different areas of basic and clinical neuroscience, encouraging collaboration both within its various teams as well as with other departments across the Department of Neurology, Department of Psychiatric and Neurological Rehabilitation and Department of Psychological Sciences.

Our interests include stroke, brain and spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and headache. Members of the Department have expertise in basic neuroscience, therapeutics, rehabilitation, cognitive neuroscience, neuroradiology, physics, psychometrics, uroneurology, autonomics, neurointensive care and neurosurgery.

In the pursuit of this mission, the institute focuses on the following areas:

• Stroke and traumatic brain injury. This includes: 1). Studies which are carried out in patients admitted acutely after brain injury or stroke and look at longitudinal changes in physiological homeostasis, at the levels of biochemical markers of injury, and at the neural reorganisation assessed by functional MRI and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). 2). Studies investigating the visual neglect and inattention following stroke and studies assessing the role of medial prefrontal cortex in cognition and action. The aim of this research programme is to identify early changes in the pathophysiological cascade of brain injury and potential windows for treatment before irreversible secondary ischaemic brain damage occurs.

• Cognitive Neurology. Disorders of perception, attention and action control are common in many neurological disorders. This group is involved in the investigation and development of treatments for such deficits. By combining behavioural methods with neuroimaging and pharmacological techniques, novel therapeutic strategies are being developed for cognitive disorders, particularly following stroke.

• Spinal Injury. The Spinal Repair Unit is working on a method for repair of neuronal injuries by transplantation of cells cultured from the upper part of the adult nasal lining. Laboratory experiments show that this approach can cure a number of the deficits caused by spinal injury. The team is investigating how these findings can be applied to patients with spinal cord injury, with the intention that the patient can be the source of his/her own donor tissue.

• Anatomic, functional and vascular imaging. Development of a programme to advance morphological imaging using high resolution imaging (3T MR) and MR microscopy (7T).

• Headache. Studies of the mechanisms and management of headache syndromes. This programme is focused on migraine and trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, including cluster headache.

• Uro-Neurology. Focus is on patients with intractable bladder overactivity or urinary retention. Ongoing research in the Department has meant that we are able to offer many of these patients the choice of entering studies of new treatments.

• Neurorehabilitation. This includes studies of the mechanisms, measurement and management of neurological disability including multiple sclerosis, stroke, spinal cord and neuromuscular disorders, combining clinical radiological and neuro-physiological methods. Particular areas of interest include care pathways, goal setting and vocational rehabiliation.

• Outcome measurement. The Neurological Outcomes Measure Unit (NOMU) focuses on the development, evaluation, and application of rating scales to measure health outcomes, predominantly in neuroscience. It undertakes broad-based research in applied projects and in psychometric methodology which is both qualitative (including in-depth qualitative interviews) and quantitative (including large scale multi-centre surveys and psychometric evaluations).

 

Mind Body Institute

CIMHANS Mind Body Institute includes non-pharmacological practises for managing disease with a view of mind over matter.

Preventing future complications, increasing productivity and improving quality of life, we work with the following conditions:
  
* Insomnia
* Depression
* Anxiety
* Fear and Obsession
* Hypertension
* Hyperacidity
* Chronic Constipation and Gas
* Addiction
* Headache and Migraine
* Tiredness and Low Energy
* Pain
* Poor attention
* Stress
* Procrastination
* Motivation 
* Performance

We will work with you and put together methods best suited to your condition.  
    
Modalities and Approaches

Clinical Hypnotherapy
Clinical Psychology
Ayurveda
Energy Medicine (Reiki)
Dowser Healing
Yoga & Meditation
Neuro Laguistic Programming
Bio feedback
Neuro feedback

a. EEG Biofeedback/Neurofeedback

What is Neurofeedback used for?
Neurofeedback is direct training of brain function, by which the brain learns to function more efficiently. Neurofeedback is also called EEG Biofeedback, because it is based on electrical brain activity, the electroencephalogram, or EEG. Neurofeedback is training in self-regulation.

What is Neurofeedback good for?
Neurofeedback addresses problems of brain disregulation. These happen to be numerous. They include the anxiety-depression spectrum, attention deficits, behavior disorders, various sleep disorders, headaches and migraines, PMS, emotional disturbances. It is also useful for organic brain conditions such as seizures, the autism spectrum, and cerebral palsy. What conditions is Neurofeedback / EEG Biofeedback successful in helping?

This includes:
* Seizures and sub-clinical seizure activity
* Severely disruptive behavior disorders such as Conduct Disorder and Bipolar Disorder.
* Autistic spectrum and pervasive developmental delay.
* Cerebral palsy
* Acquired brain injury
* Birth trauma

Many children have sleep problems that can be helped:
* Bed wetting
* Sleep walking, sleep talking
* Teeth grinding
* Nightmares
* Night terrors

We can also be helpful with many of the problems of adolescence:
* Drug abuse
* Suicidal behavior
* Anxiety and depression
We can also help to maintain good brain function as people get older. The good news is that almost any brain, regardless of its level of function, can be trained to function better.

b. Clinical Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis has; by different names; been used since time immemorial for the treatment of illnesses, enhancement of well being and realization of peak potential. Today it is recognized by WHO, British Medical Association and American Medical Association as well as utilized extensively in Sports for Individuals, Teams and Organizations.

Just like 3/4th of our world is covered with water, 90% (or more!) of our self is governed by our Subconscious and Unconscious and most of our problems are caused by or contributed by, our Emotions.

Hypnotherapy and other Trance producing modalities access our Subconscious and Unconscious where we encounter our ‘Defences’, our State Dependent Memory, our ‘Emotional Mind’ that influences our E.Q., our Intuitive Right side of the brain and help us influence our Autonomic ‘Involuntary’ Nervous system.

Clinical evidence of its efficacy has been available since the time of Mesmer and King Louis XVI (1784) through anecdotal case reports, empirical evidence and validation, yet it was dismissed as mere ‘Imagination’ or ‘Placebo’.

Scientific evidence through Clinical and Molecular research; though still evolving; has established not only that “Hypnotic alteration of perception is more than mere compliance with suggestion, but rather it involves alteration in sensory experience”, they also consistently show it is better than Imagination and Autogenic Training (e.g. for pain control).

This has also helped scientifically define Hypnosis as ‘A State of Focal Attention and Heightened Concentration’. Among the changes that have been well researched and documented are-

Physiological (Biofeedback) changes
[e.g. Changes in Galvanic Skin Response, Temperature, Heart Rate Variability etc, even suggestion mediated rapid vasodilatation in Raynaud’s disease]

Immunological changes
[e.g. Increase in CD3,CD8, NK cell count with decrease of HSV episodes in patients with recurrent genital Herpes Simplex (rgHSV)]

Neurotransmitter changes
[Dopamine and HVA levels reflecting activation of Basal Ganglia and Frontal Cortex, increase in Endorphins.]

EEG changes 
[Alpha laterality favoring left hemisphere and Right frontal Theta in the Hypnotizable]

Event-Related Potentials changes
[P300 changes on Visual Evoked Potentials related to Attentional processes]

Brain Imaging changes

[Global increase in cerebral perfusion (rCBF)on PET scans, Local increase in rCBF in Anterior Cingulate Gyrus during hallucination induction in Hypnosis.]
Well being will be achieved more through the Mind than the Brain.
Hypnosis is emerging with more and more clarity, as an effective ‘Mind Body tool’. It is now up to us to use, misuse or not use it.