Introduction and History of the Department of Cognitive Sciences

The Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, affiliated with the Kerman Neuroscience Research Center (KNRC), was designed and established with the aim of advancing cognitive science studies, particularly in the field of non-human primates. The department was founded on 1st Khordad 1390 (approximately May 22, 2011) in a building donated to Kerman University of Medical Sciences by the Moli al-Mowahhedin Charity, and is located at the beginning of the Kerman-Mahan Highway. Its primary mission at the outset was to establish and develop behavioral and electrophysiology laboratories to create a dedicated research line in cognitive activities using non-human primate models. Initial studies focused on executive control, working memory, and temporal processing, investigating the role of the prefrontal cortex through behavioral assessments, electrophysiology, and lesion studies. To this end, the department initiated international collaborations with Monash University, Australia, and the RIKEN Institute in Japan. Through a formal memorandum of understanding, the department has received laboratory and housing equipment free of charge from RIKEN. In addition to research activities, the department is responsible for training researchers and PhD students in neuroscience, equipping them with interdisciplinary skills including neuroscience, physiology, engineering, software, data processing, and cognitive modeling.

Adopting a translational approach from the very beginning, the department expanded its research scope by establishing rodent behavioral and electrophysiology laboratories on 1st Ordibehesht 1396 (approximately April 20, 2017) in collaboration with the Australian National University. This branch focuses on cognitive and perceptual processing in rodent models, encompassing behavioral modeling and electrophysiological data processing derived from Electrocorticogram (ECoG) signals and single-unit recordings in freely moving animals. Alongside these basic studies, research is actively conducted on the role of psychoactive compounds such as ketamine, morphine, and oxytocin on executive control functions in primate models. This line of research aims to advance the translational approach and generalize findings to human exposure models, representing a crucial step toward the clinical application of basic research findings. Another major research focus of the department is the development of a non-human primate model of addiction, aimed at investigating the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying substance dependence and advancing novel therapeutic approaches, pursued in parallel with the aforementioned pharmacological studies.

In the final step to complete the translational chain, the department launched its human behavioral and electrophysiology laboratories on 1st Khordad 1401 (approximately May 22, 2022). This lab employs advanced modeling techniques and electrophysiological signal analysis through EEG-ERP methods to study executive control and time perception in humans, thereby covering the entire research spectrum from rodents to humans. Consequently, the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, benefiting from international collaborations and state-of-the-art equipment, has established itself as a major research hub in the country. By training specialized and competent personnel, it plays an effective role in advancing cognitive science knowledge and translational approaches at Kerman University of Medical Sciences. For more information, interested individuals can visit the main website of the Kerman Neuroscience Research Center (https://knrc.kmu.ac.ir/en) and the department's dedicated website (https://cog.kmu.ac.ir/en).