Dr. Anahita Bassir Nia

Biography

Anahita Bassir Nia, MD, is an Addiction Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. She focuses her research on translational science aimed at understanding the neurobiology of stress-related psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her ultimate goal is to identify novel biological targets for treating these disorders. Dr. Bassir Nia has received a career development award for her work studying the endogenous cannabinoid system in relation to opioid use disorder (OUD) and has conducted brain imaging studies to investigate the availability of cannabinoid receptors in individuals suffering from stress-related disorders and OUD. She is particularly interested in the impact of early-life adversity on brain development and the subsequent mental health consequences. Additionally, she explores the potential use of psychedelics, such as N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), in the treatment of substance use disorders and PTSD, focusing on underlying mechanisms and changes in neuroplasticity.

Research Interests