Physiology


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Neurophysiology and Cognition Laboratory

Neurophysiology and Cognition Laboratory (NCL) at the department is the twin laboratory of the Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory at the Teaching Hospital Peradeniya. The NCL primarily functions as a research and clinical laboratory and also used in postgraduate and undergraduate training and conducting regional workshops

The NCL was established in 2012. At present, it is headed by Prof. Tharaka Dassanayake, Professor in Neurophysiology and Consultant in Clinical Neurophysiology and Cognition. Prof. Vajira Weerasinghe, who is the Head of the Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory, is a senior member of our team. The lab has two trained technical officers (Mrs. R.G.L. Shiroma and Mrs. S. Kulathunga) and one clinical research assistant and a number of research students.

Facilities
The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the art psychophysiological and neuropsychological techniques including,

32-Channel BIOSEMI ActiveTwo™ EEG/ERP system
CANTAB™ computerised Neuropsychological assessment kit
A number of pen-and-paper tests of cognitive functions

Our research
Our current research focuses on:

Psychophysiological and cognitive effects of pesticide poisoning, drug overdose
Cognitive effects of theanine (a constituent of tea)
Psychophysiology of visual attention
Creating normative data for cognitive tests for Sri Lankans.

Our Collaborators

South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration
School of Psychology, The University of Newcastle, Australia
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya

Clinical services
At our Memory and Cognition Clinic we carry cognitive assessments of patients with various clinical indications:

To diagnose distinct patterns of deficits (e.g. different types of dementias and mild cognitive impairment)
To monitor response to treatment (e.g. dementia, ADHD) and cognitive rehabilitation (e.g. post-stroke)
To trace the recovery and fitness to return (e.g. post-concussion athletes)
To determine the cognitive strengths of the patients with neurological / neuropsychiatric conditions
To rule out healthy individuals with subjective cognitive complaints

We interpret our patient test results against these age-, sex-, education- and IQ-adjusted norms, thus making them valid in the local context. The patients are seen by prior appointments, upon request by the physicians.

If you seek research opportunities or need to refer a patient please contact us:
Email: tharakad@pdn.ac.lk, tlag23@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: (+94)813132780, (+94) 713236147