Meghana Vadakkedath Dharmapalan is a PhD student at the Cognition and Consumer Lab at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Her research focuses on the gut-brain axis (GBA) and its impact on decision-making in everyday contexts. She investigates the intricate interactions between the gut and brain by focusing on each component within the GBA. This includes examining the impact of different mental states, such as emotion, neutral cognitive states, and resting states, on gut muscle activity (measured by electrogastrography, EGG) and heart rate variability (measured by electrocardiography, ECG).

Her research aims to investigate the relationship between these mental states and gut activity and heart rate variability, to explore the potential of gut muscle activity as a valid measure for studying the GBA. She is also interested in testing and comparing the predictive power of various somatic markers, including EGG, ECG, and EDA (electrodermal activity), in relation to decision-making tasks that reflect everyday choices.

Meghana uses controlled experimental designs, physiological measurements, and advanced statistical and machine learning techniques to explore the interactions between the gut and brain. She holds a Master's in Science (Research) in Behavioral Science from Radboud University, Netherlands (2022-2024), and a Master's in Science in Clinical Psychology from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India (2019-2021).