Dr Anita Mahadevan

Prof. Anita Mahadevan has been a neuropathologist at the National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India, for the past 20 years, where she is actively involved in diagnosis, research, and teaching in the field of Neuropathology. She serves as the coordinator of the only Human Brain Tissue Repository (Brain Bank) in the country, which procures and provides characterized human brain tissues and CSF/serum for scientists engaged in brain research. Additionally, she spearheads neuroscience education for school students and promotes brain donation awareness among the public. This facility has been instrumental in evaluating the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurotrauma and contributing to the human proteome map. In the field of neuroinfections, her lab has concentrated on studying the cellular reservoirs in the brain in HIV/AIDS (funded by an R01 Project), investigating radiopathologic correlations of neuroinfections, molecularly characterizing HIV subtypes in the brain, and exploring HIV-related neuropathies. Additionally, she has made significant contributions to understanding the pathobiology of rabies viral encephalitis. In the realm of epilepsy, her lab has played a pivotal role in elucidating the pathology of status epilepticus, Rasmussen’s encephalitis, and developing a rat model for hot water epilepsy. Currently, her research is focused on evaluating glial biology in epilepsy and central nervous system infections.