CALM-Brain (Comprehensive Assessment of Longitudinal Mind-Brain)
Why in News?
The repository was officially unveiled on March 25, 2026, by philanthropist Rohini Nilekani at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru.
Key Features
- Targeted Disorders: The repository focuses on five major psychiatric disorders: Addiction, Bipolar Disorder, Dementia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Schizophrenia.
- Rich Dataset: It integrates diverse data types, including:
- Clinical and Behavioural data.
- Neuro-imaging (fMRI, brain structure).
- Genetic information and EEG readings.
- Stem Cell Biorepository: Linked to a collection of stem cells for biological research into the origins of severe mental illnesses.
- Family-Centric Approach: Unlike many global studies that focus on individuals, CALM-Brain gathers data from affected and unaffected members of the same family to identify robust neurocognitive biomarkers.
- Current Scale: The repository already contains data from over 2,000 participants across 900 families, following a long-term data collection process that began in 2016.
- Early Intervention: The ultimate goal is to help clinicians diagnose mental disorders at a much earlier stage and develop personalised, targeted therapies.
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