Faculty

Susanne E Ahmari, MD, PhD

Susanne E Ahmari, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

450 Technology Drive
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15219

Education & Training

MD
Stanford University
PhD
Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University
Psychiatry, Columbia University
Anxiety and Affective Disorders, Columbia University

Specialty Certifications

Board Certification
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Professional Affiliations

Associate Member, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Member, Society for Neuroscience

Selected Honors & Awards

A.E. Bennett Research Award, Society of Biological Psychiatry
Fellowship Award in the Neurosciences, Klingenstein-Simons Foundation
Emerging Female Scientist Award, Carnegie Science Center
McKnight Scholar Award, McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience
Rising Star Award, Pittsburgh Foundation
Career Award for Medical Scientists, Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Research Interests

Cortico-striatal circuit abnormalities; OCD; Cell/circuit mechanisms; negative reinforcement; Human post-mortem studies; synaptic abnormalities
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Corbit VL, Piantadosi SC, Wood J, Madireddy SS, Choi CJY, Witten IB, Gittis AH & *Ahmari SE. (2025) Dissociable roles of central striatum and anterior lateral motor area in initiating and sustaining naturalistic behavior. Cell Reports. 4:115181. PMID: 39786992.
  2. Piantadosi SC, Manning EE, Chamberlain BL, Hyde J, LaPalombara Z, Bannon NM, Pierson JL, Namboodiri VMK & *Ahmari SE. (2024) Hyperactivity of indirect pathway-projecting spiny projection neurons promotes compulsive behavior. Nature Communications. 15 (1): 4434. PMID: 38789416.
  3. Manning EE, Geramita MA, Piantadosi SC & *Ahmari SE. (2023) Distinct patterns of abnormal lateral orbitofrontal cortex activity during compulsive grooming and reversal learning normalize after fluoxetine. Biological Psychiatry. 93 (11): 989-999. PMID: 35094880.
  4. Price RB, Gillan CM, Hanlon C, Ferrarelli F, Kim T, Karim HT, Renard M, Kaskie R, Degutis M, Wears A, Vienneau EP, Peterchev AV, Brown V, Siegle GJ, Wallace M & *Ahmari SE. (2021) Effect of experimental manipulation of the OFC on short-term markers of compulsive behavior: A theta-burst stimulation study. American Journal of Psychiatry. 178(5): 459-468. PMID: 33726523.
  5. Piantadosi SC, Chamberlain BL, Glausier JR, Lewis DA & *Ahmari SE. (2021) Lower excitatory synaptic gene expression in orbitofrontal cortex and striatum in an initial study of subjects with obsessive compulsive disorder. Molecular Psychiatry. Mar;26(3):986-98. PMID: 31168067

Clinical Interests

Obsessive compulsive disorder and related disorder; Evaluation of appropriateness for DBS

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Medical/graduate student & resident education; Combatting research racial and ethnic disparities