Anahita Bassir Nia, MD
Assistant Professor of PsychiatryCards
About
Research
Publications
2025
Effects of psychedelics on opioid use disorder: a scoping review of preclinical studies
Pulido-Saavedra A, Oliva H, Prudente T, Kitaneh R, Nunes E, Fogg C, Funaro M, Weleff J, Nia A, Angarita G. Effects of psychedelics on opioid use disorder: a scoping review of preclinical studies. Cellular And Molecular Life Sciences 2025, 82: 49. PMID: 39833376, PMCID: PMC11747050, DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05519-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOpioid use disorderUse disorderPreclinical studiesClinical studiesReview of preclinical studiesConditioned place preferenceOpioid self-administrationEffects of psychedelicsPreclinical in vivo studiesOpioid use disorder treatmentFrequency of administrationPlace preferencePotential therapeutic effectsSelf-administrationWithdrawal symptomsPreclinical findingsMechanism of actionSafety profilePain studiesPsychedelicsMethodological quality assessmentClinical evidenceCardiovascular riskOpioidWeb of Science
2024
Amygdala Cannabinoid 1 Receptor, Pain Response, and Emotional Numbing in Trauma-Exposed Individuals
Korem N, Hillmer A, D’Souza D, Nia A, Levy I, Pietrzak R, Harpaz-Rotem I. Amygdala Cannabinoid 1 Receptor, Pain Response, and Emotional Numbing in Trauma-Exposed Individuals. JAMA Network Open 2024, 7: e2432387. PMID: 39250156, PMCID: PMC11385051, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.32387.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSex differences in the acute effects of oral THC: a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover human laboratory study
Mohammad Aghaei A, Urban Spillane L, Pittman B, Flynn L, De Aquino J, Bassir Nia A, Ranganathan M. Sex differences in the acute effects of oral THC: a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover human laboratory study. Psychopharmacology 2024, 241: 2145-2155. PMID: 38832949, DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06625-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRey Auditory Verbal Learning TestCannabis use disorderHuman laboratory studiesOral tetrahydrocannabinolPsychoactive effectsSex differencesAuditory Verbal Learning TestDissociative Symptoms ScalePsychotomimetic States InventoryExposure to cannabisVerbal Learning TestPlacebo-controlledIncreased cannabis useInvestigate sex differencesClinician-AdministeredVerbal learningPsychotomimetic effectsCannabinoid effectsLearning TestCannabis useTetrahydrocannabinol dosesEffects of sexUse disorderDose-related effectsIndividual vulnerabilityPsychotherapeutic Interventions in Clinical Trials of Psychedelics for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
Mohammad Aghaei A, Weleff J, Martins B, Ing K, Fontenele R, Barnett B, Anand A, Bassir Nia A. Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Clinical Trials of Psychedelics for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder. Current Addiction Reports 2024, 11: 685-712. DOI: 10.1007/s40429-024-00574-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTreatment of AUDUse disorderTreatment of alcohol use disordersModalities of psychotherapyAlcohol use disorderPsychedelic treatmentPsychotherapeutic interventionsTreat AUDPsychedelic compoundsPsychedelic trialsPsychotherapySmall numbers of participantsPsychedelicsMagnitude of improvementMethodological shortcomingsAUDNumbers of participantsClinical trialsDisordersReviewed trialsShort follow-up periodFollow-up periodTherapy methodsEmpirical evidenceNo significant difference
2023
Dysregulation of the endogenous cannabinoid system following opioid exposure
Mohammad Aghaei A, Saali A, Canas M, Weleff J, D'Souza D, Angarita G, Bassir Nia A. Dysregulation of the endogenous cannabinoid system following opioid exposure. Psychiatry Research 2023, 330: 115586. PMID: 37931479, PMCID: PMC10842415, DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115586.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsEndocannabinoid systemECS componentsBrain regionsNovel neurobiological targetsTreatment of OUDEndogenous opioid systemOpioid-related deathsEndogenous cannabinoid systemSpecific brain regionsECS dysregulationOpioid exposureOUD treatmentOpioid systemCannabinoid systemNeurobiological targetsNew medicationsPreclinical literatureCannabinoid receptorsEndogenous ligandTherapeutic potentialStudy typePresent potential targetsExposure protocolOpioidsPreclinical researchRegular cannabis use is associated with history of childhood and lifetime trauma in a non-clinical community sample
Bassir Nia A, Weleff J, Fogelman N, Nourbakhsh S, Sinha R. Regular cannabis use is associated with history of childhood and lifetime trauma in a non-clinical community sample. Journal Of Psychiatric Research 2023, 159: 159-164. PMID: 36736285, PMCID: PMC10024801, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.01.036.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMajor life eventsChildhood traumaLife eventsChildhood Trauma QuestionnaireLifetime traumaCannabis useNon-clinical community sampleChronic stressNeurobiology of stressRegular cannabis useGender differencesRegular useSelf-report questionnairesRecent life eventsPotential gender differencesCross-sectional studyUrine drug testingLife traumaLogistic regression analysisAdversity indexCommunity sampleCannabis usersTrauma QuestionnaireHigh rateSubstance use
2022
Sex differences in the acute effects of intravenous (IV) delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
Bassir Nia A, Orejarena MJ, Flynn L, Luddy C, D’Souza D, Skosnik PD, Pittman B, Ranganathan M. Sex differences in the acute effects of intravenous (IV) delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Psychopharmacology 2022, 239: 1621-1628. PMID: 35438304, PMCID: PMC11215802, DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06135-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRey Auditory Verbal Learning TaskPsychotomimetic States InventoryCognitive effectsAuditory Verbal Learning TaskSubjective effectsDelta-9-TetrahydrocannabinolSex differencesVerbal learning taskDissociative Symptoms ScaleFemale participantsMain psychoactive constituentSignificant main effectPerceptual alterationsLearning taskStates InventoryPsychoactive constituentSignificant sex differencesMain effectMale participantsVisual analog scaleSymptom ScaleTest dayEffects of cannabinoidsParticipantsPsychotomimetic effectsDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Text Revision Dsm-5-tr 5th Edition
Cross-Cutting Gender Review Group, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Text Revision Dsm-5-tr 5th EditionBooks
2021
Dopamine D1R Receptor Stimulation as a Mechanistic Pro-cognitive Target for Schizophrenia
Abi-Dargham A, Javitch JA, Slifstein M, Anticevic A, Calkins ME, Cho YT, Fonteneau C, Gil R, Girgis R, Gur RE, Gur RC, Grinband J, Kantrowitz J, Kohler C, Krystal J, Murray J, Ranganathan M, Santamauro N, Van Snellenberg J, Tamayo Z, Wolf D, D’Souza D, Srihari V, Gueorguieva R, Patel P, Forselius-Bielen K, Lu J, Butler A, Fram G, Afriyie-Agyemang Y, Selloni A, Cadavid L, Gomez-Luna S, Gupta A, Radhakrishnan R, Rashid A, Aker R, Abrahim P, Nia A, Surti T, Kegeles L, Carlson M, Goldberg T, Gangwisch J, Benedict E, Govil P, Brazis S, Mayer M, de la Garrigue N, Fallon N, Baumvoll T, Abeykoon S, Perlman G, Bobchin K, Elliott M, Schmidt L, Rush S, Port A, Heffernan Z, Laney N, Kantor J, Hohing T, Gray D, Lieberman J. Dopamine D1R Receptor Stimulation as a Mechanistic Pro-cognitive Target for Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin 2021, 48: 199-210. PMID: 34423843, PMCID: PMC8781338, DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbab095.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCortical dopamine neurotransmissionPositive allosteric modulationImportant therapeutic targetPF-06412562Dopaminergic receptorsD1R stimulationDA levelsTolerable dosesLevel of stimulationDopamine neurotransmissionReceptor stimulationTherapeutic targetPartial agonistCognitive deficitsBiased agonismFull agonismTarget engagementAllosteric modulationNew drugsStimulationPoor bioavailabilitySchizophreniaOptimal stimulationDrugsExpression levels
2020
Cannabinoid use in psychotic patients impacts inflammatory levels and their association with psychosis severity
Gibson CL, Bassir Nia A, Spriggs SA, DeFrancisco D, Swift A, Perkel C, Zhong X, Mazumdar M, Fernandez N, Patel M, Kim-Schulze S, Hurd YL. Cannabinoid use in psychotic patients impacts inflammatory levels and their association with psychosis severity. Psychiatry Research 2020, 293: 113380. PMID: 32818918, PMCID: PMC8292796, DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113380.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInterleukin-6Psychosis severityCannabinoid useCannabis useIL-6 levelsCommon underlying pathologyPANSS total scoreChronic psychotic disordersRisk of psychosisPsychiatric emergency roomNegative Syndrome ScalePsychotic symptom severityInflammatory alterationsInflammatory markersInflammatory disturbancesAcute psychosisInflammatory abnormalitiesNata medicationUnderlying pathologyEmergency roomInflammatory levelsPANSS scoresPsychiatric unitUnadjusted modelsPsychotic disorders
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
The endogenous cannabinoid system in Individuals with opioid use disorder and healthy: A brain imaging study
HIC ID2000033525RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2025Recruiting ParticipantsIntensive 7-day Treatment for PTSD Combining Ketamine With Exposure Therapy (PTSD)
HIC ID1509016530RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date08/01/2030Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge21 years - 70 yearsImaging Cannabinoid Receptors Using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanning
HIC ID1005006735RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2016Recruiting ParticipantsGenderMaleAge18 years - 55 years
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
News
News
- November 18, 2024
Bassir Nia Chosen to Participate in ACNP Early-Stage Investigator Assistance Program
- May 13, 2024Source: Current Addiction Reports
Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Clinical Trials of Psychedelics for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
- August 16, 2023
Four Yale Psychiatry Researchers Awarded Grants to Study Alcohol Use Disorder
- July 24, 2023Source: Globe Newswire
Bassir Nia the PI for Test of Compound in Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
Get In Touch
Contacts
Mailing Address
Psychiatry
950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT
West Haven, Connecticut 06516
United States