I am a researcher primarily working in Auditory Systems Neuroscience.
I worked as a Research Associate at University of Glasgow, as well as Newcastle University (NCL), UK. I have worked at Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (WCHN), University College London (UCL), UK.
I earned my PhD in auditory perception and Masters in Neuroscience from Institute of Neuroscience (IoN), Newcastle University (NCL), UK. I obtained my Bachelors degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) from National Institute of Technology Trichy (NITT), India. I am a recipient of Wellcome Trust PhD studentship, NCL Uni Overseas Research Scholarship.
"If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn't!" ~ Prof. Emerson M. Pugh, 1970
Auditory working memory (WM) is the process of keeping representations of auditory objects in mind for short duration even when the sounds are not in the environment. I am investigating non-verbal WM which is different from phonological WM as these sounds cannot be assigned a semantic label. My MEG project aims to understand the dynamics underlying AWM. What mechanisms underlie neural activity during retention?
More on my AWM research AWM Poster
Mismatched Negativity (MMN) is a event related potential evoked to irregularities in constant auditory stream. Unlike in Schizophrenia, MMN impairments in early stage psychosis are less well-established. I investigated whether there are deficits in MMN to duration deviants in early stage psychosis. Impairments in language processing in schizophrenia are a central aspect of the disorder but the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are unclear. Here, we investigated whether neural oscillations are impaired during speech tracking in early-stage schizophrenia.
MMN in Early Schizophrenia Entrainment to Speech
Misophonia is a condition experienced by some people wherein everyday bodily sounds like eating, chewing, and breathing, trigger extreme emotional response in them. I investigated the brain basis underlying this condition. I explored how interoception is different in the sufferers. I have proposed the use of ccPAS (TMS) to reduce hyper-mirroring in misophonia. I have proposed a self-perpetuating cycle of mirror system hyperactivity mediated by iron dysregulation.
Motor basis of Misophonia Interoception in Misophonia
More than half the world's population above the age of 75 years develop age-related hearing loss. They have difficulty understanding speech amidst background noise, like when listening to someone speak in a noisy cafe. Colloquially this is known as the ‘cocktail party problem’ which most animals and humans are able to solve. To infer how our brains solve this, I developed a monkey model to understand the brain mechanisms underlying auditory segregation and time window analysis. I also investigated the brain dynamics in humans.
Read about ASA Read about time window
My hobby is to create simple fun-to-play games for those who seek knowledge.
Game-based learning makes exploring our culture engaging and enjoyable. My goal is to create games that help one learn and not just for entertainment. The idea is to have fun while playing yet still learning. These games are designed to foster curiosity and a deeper understanding of our rich heritage.
"Hobbies are a contradiction; they take work and turn it into leisure, and take leisure and turn it into work." ~ Steven Gelber in his 1999 book, "Hobbies: Leisure and the Culture of Work in America"
Solve this Jigsaw puzzle by placing the pieces so that the entire play area is covered except those 3 cells in gray color corresponding to today's Solar Month, Asterism, and Lunar Zodiac computed based on Drik Panchang. One can learn more about ancient Indian astronomy devoid of unscientific astrology. This is supported on both desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a form phrases game as a web app. The challenge is to guess the action that would reduce your carbon footprint using words from a pool of options. Additional clues in the form of category and the amount of carbon emissions per year saved is revealed as well. One can develop their understanding about how to reduce their carbon footprint. When the player correctly guesses the phrase, they will see the time taken and the number of tries needed. This is supported on both desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a sorting puzzle as a web app. The challenge is to reorder the jumbled up verb conjugations of a Sanskrit word assigning them to their correct person. One can test their knowledge of Sanskrit grammar in this game. The player sees the tense / mood of the verb, the class of the verb stem as clues. This is supported both on desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a inference game as a web app. One can test their reasoning skills on an English transliterated verse from 'Mankuthimmana Kagga', an book of pithy sayings written by DV Gundappa in Kannada language. When the player gets it right using the meaning of the kagga, they see their speed and number of tries it took them.
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I developed a hang man style game as a web app. The challenge is to guess the action that would reduce your carbon footprint using cross word like textual clues. Additional clues in the form of category and the amount of carbon emissions per year saved is revealed as well. One can develop their understanding about how to reduce their carbon footprint. When the player correctly guesses the phrase, they will see the time taken by them. This is supported on both desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a NYT Connections style but a visual game as a web app. The challenge is to find the triple of a tree. The player is presented with a grid of 9 jumbled up images of barks, buds and leaves of 3 trees (which are shown as clues). Their task is to identify the 3 triples (bark, bud, leaf) that are each connected to a single tree. They get 4 wrong attempts as well as utmost 3 hints. One can develop their skills for identification of trees.
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I developed a Wordle style game as a web app. The challenge is to guess Sanskrit names of the yoga poses (asanas) with Wordle style clues. One can test their knowledge of aasana names. The player can only play one puzzle a day. One can learn more about yoga and the different aasanas. This is supported on both desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed "Indoku" a 2x2 Sudoku puzzle as a web app but with Indic numerals. One can test their reasoning and inference skills in this game. The player has to solve a 4 blocks Sudoku in the shortest time. The twist here is that the two of the diagonal blocks have numerals in two of 11 possible different Indian scripts that are supported, thus you implicitly learn it when you solve this puzzle.
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I developed a multiple choice game as a web app. One can learn the meaning of verses from Hanuman Chalisa written in Awadhi language. When the player finds the correct rhyming pair of words that complete the verse they will see the time taken and number of guesses they needed. This game can be played either on a desktop or a hand held device.
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I developed a hang man style game as a web app. The challenge is to identify the tree by clues in the form of pictures of its bark, bud and leaf. Upon each unsuccessful guess of a letter, a new clue is revealed as pictures with the final clue being the Latin name. One can develop their skills for identification of trees. When the player correctly identifies the tree, they will see the time taken by them. One can learn more about natural history.
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I developed a Wordle style game as a web app. The challenge is to guess one of the names of Vishnu as listed in the Sahasranama based on the English meaning that is revealed as a clue. All valid guesses are the names of Vishnu. One can use hint shown in Hangman style. One can test their grasp over Vishnu Sahasranama in this game. This is supported on both desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a multiple choice game as a web app. One can learn the meaning of verses from Patanjali's Yoga Sutra written in classical Sanskrit language. When the player finds the correct meaning of the verse they will see the time taken and number of guesses they needed. This game can be played either on a desktop or a hand held device.
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I developed a word search in a letter grid game as a web app. The challenge is to search for object names of the Bharatanatyam mudras (both samyukta and asamyukta) in a grid of letters. One can test their search skills as a words can be in horizontal, vertical, diagonal even in reverse order. When the player correctly identifies the mudras, they will see the time taken by them. One can learn more about Bharatanatyam and the different mudras. This is supported both on desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a Wordle style puzzle with numbers as a web app. The challenge is to guess the chosen five-digit hidden number within six guesses. Guesses are made as a number using numerals from one of 11 Indian languages. Each guess will reveal clues about the answer in the form of colour coded squares with arrows optionally. The aim is to learn the association between the symbols representing numerals in Indian languages and its corresponding digit. This is supported both on desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a sorting puzzle as a web app. The challenge is to reorder the jumbled up noun declensions of a Sanskrit word assigning them to their correct case. One can test their knowledge of Sanskrit grammar in this game. The player sees the gender of the word, the names of the eight cases and their English prepositions as clues. This is supported both on desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a Hangman style game as a web app. The challenge is to guess a phrase describing the main benefit of doing a specific yoga pose (asana) shown in each game. One can test their reasoning and inference skills required to guess where an asana would benefit the most. The player sees the name of the Aasana to aid in the association of the pose with its benefits. One can learn more about yoga and its benefits of various asanas. This is supported both on desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a word search in a letter grid game as a web app. The challenge is to search for English names of the yoga poses (asanas) in a grid of letters. One can test their search skills as a words can be in horizontal, vertical, diagonal even in reverse order. When the player correctly identifies the poses, they will see the time taken by them. One can learn more about yoga and the different aasanas. This is supported both on desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a "slider" puzzle as a web app. One can test their grasp over Shiva Sutra in this game. The player is presented with a slider puzzle containing 16 jumbled up tiles with the aphorisms from Shiva Sutra or optionally alphabets. Their task is to slide the tiles into the correct order. They can listen to the Sutra being recited for clues on the correct order. One can use Devanagari, Kannada, or Telugu script in this game.
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I developed "connections" style puzzle as a web app. One can test their knowledge and intuition in Hindu theology using this game. The player is presented with a grid of 9 jumbled up names of 3 different Hindu gods (which are shown as clues). Their task is to identify the 3 groups of 3 names that are each connected to a single god. They get 4 wrong attempts as well as utmost 3 hints.
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I developed a jigsaw puzzle as a web app. One can test their solving skills on a image of an Aasana (pose). When the player correctly arranges the tiles, they will see the benefits of the Aasana, and the time taken by them. One can learn more about yoga and the different Asanas. This is supported both on desktop and handheld devices.
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I developed a memory game as a web app. One can test their short term memory on an English transliterated verse from Thirukkural, an ancient book of proverbs written in classical Tamil language. When the player gets it right, they will see the meaning of the proverb in addition to their speed and number of tries it took them.
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I developed a typing game as a web app. One can practice their typing skills on an English transliterated verse from Bhagavad Gita, a Sacred book of the Hindus written in classical Sanskrit language. When the player gets it right, they will see the meaning of the verse in addition to their typing speed and number of typographs errors. This app received 'Honourable Mention' from Glitch.
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If you would like to work me, you can drop a message!
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