Dr Anshu is a developmental neuroscientist whose research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying sensory and cognitive development in children and young adults, particularly in neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and Down syndrome. Her work integrates behavioural testing, EEG/ERP, eye-tracking, and cognitive assessment to understand atypical developmental trajectories and their relationship to real-world functioning. Her long-term goal is to identify mechanisms and markers that can inform interventions and support better developmental outcomes in autism and Down syndrome.

Dr Anshu completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. During her postdoc, she used EEG/ERP to study the maturation of cortical auditory processing from childhood to young adulthood and examined how these developmental changes relate to speech perception. She also studied speech perception, spatial hearing, auditory working memory, and EEG-based markers of auditory processing in individuals with Down syndrome. In addition, she examined individual differences in contextual learning and visual attention in autistic children using eye-tracking.

During her PhD at NIMHANS, she investigated attentional dysfunction and neural synchrony in a prenatal valproate rodent model of autism using behavioural assays and in vivo electrophysiology. She also developed a composite developmental index to characterize early developmental alterations in rodent models of neurodevelopmental disorders.

At Krea, she teaches the core course Brain and Behaviour and plans to offer electives in related areas from the next term.

Publications

1. Anshu, K., Dantanarayana, N.D., Godar, S.P. et al. (2026). Development of cortical auditory processing and its association with speech understanding from childhood to adulthood. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-68625-0
2. Kristensen K., Anshu, K, Schworer E.K., Handen, B., Hartley, S.L., Litovsky R.Y. (2026). Connection between executive function and adaptive functioning in young adults with Down syndrome. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2026.2679067
3. Anshu, K., Kristensen, K., Godar, S.P., Zhou, X., Hartley, S.L., Litovsky, R.Y. (2024). Speech recognition and spatial hearing in young adults with Down syndrome: Relationships with hearing loss and auditory verbal-working memory. Ear and Hearing, 45(6), 1568-1584. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001549. 
4. Anshu, K., Nair, A.K., Srinath, S. et al. Altered Developmental Trajectory in Male and Female Rats in a Prenatal Valproic Acid Exposure Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05684
5. Kambali, M. Y., Anshu, K., Kutty, B. M., Muddashetty, R. S., & Laxmi, T. R. (2019). Effect of early maternal separation stress on attention, spatial learning, and social interaction behavior. Experimental Brain Research, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-019-05567-2  
6. Anshu, K., Nair, A. K., Kumaresan, U.D., Kutty, B. M., Srinath, S. and Laxmi, T. R. (2017). Altered attentional processing in male and female rats in a prenatal valproic acid exposure model of autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research,10: 1929–1944. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1852