Faculty

Marta Peciña, MD, PhD

Marta Peciña, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
Translational Neuropsychopharmacology & Neuroimaging Lab
Assistant
Alyssa Neppach
neppacham@upmc.edu

Education & Training

MD
University of Navarre, School of Medicine
PhD
Neuroscience, University of Navarre, School of Medicine
Psychiatry, University of Navarre Medical Center
Neuroimaging, University of Michigan

Selected Honors & Awards

Young Physician Scientist Award, American Society of Clinical Investigation
Rising Star Award, Pittsburgh Foundation
New Investigator Award, International Society for CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology

Research Interests

Neuroimaging predictors of treatment response; Interactions between belief, learning & mood; Computational models of placebo effects
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Sikora M., Heffernan J., Avery E., Mickey B., Zubieta J.K., Pecina M. Salience Network Functional Connectivity Predictors of Placebo Effects in Major Depression. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2016 Jan;1(1):68-76.
  2. Pecina M., Bohnert A.S.B., Sikora M., Avery E.T., Langenecker S.A., Mickey B.J., Zubieta J.K.: Association Between Placebo-Activated Neural Systems and Antidepressant Responses. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015. Sep. 30; 72(11):1-8. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2515.1335.
  3. Pecina M., Love T., Stohler C., Goldman D, Zubieta JK. Effects of the Mu Opioid Receptor Polymorphism (OPRM1 A118G) on Pain Regulation, Placebo Effects and Associated Personality Trait Measures. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015 Mar;40(4):957-65.
  4. Pecina M., Martinez Jauand M., Hodgkinson C., Stohler C., Goldman D, Zubieta JK. FAAHselectively influences placebo effects. Mol Psychiatry. 2014 Mar;19(3):385-91. doi: 10.1038/mp.2013.124. Epub 2013 Sep 17.
  5. Pecina M, Azhar H, Love TM, Lu T, Fredrickson BL, Stohler CS, Zubieta JK. Personality trait predictors of placebo analgesia and neurobiological correlates. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013; 38 (4):639-646. PMCID: PMC3572460.

Clinical Interests

Depression; Neuroimaging; Neuromodulation

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Resident education; Career development

Pitt Psychiatry’s 2024 Research Day, Part I: A Research and Networking Bonanza

Research Day 2024

The 22nd annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day, held on June 13, 2024, was the most highly attended Research Day ever, with 544 faculty members, trainees, and staff gathering at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Lunchtime Roundtables More than 260 individuals participated in or facilitated one of 19 roundtable discussion groups focused on topics including...

Pitt Psychiatry News from the 2023 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting

2023 ACNP Annual Meeting Collage

Many University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry faculty and trainees attended the 2023 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting to learn about and present new research, and connect with colleagues. Below is a recap of Pitt Psychiatry news from the meeting: Honorific Award Mary Phillips, MD, MD (Cantab) (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and...

JAMA Psychiatry: Dynamic Feedback Between Antidepressant Placebo Expectancies and Mood

Marta Peciña, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), conducts research focused on the mechanisms of antidepressant treatment response, and uses placebos to investigate how expectancies and learning mechanisms impact mood improvement. In a recent paper published in JAMA Psychiatry, Dr. Peciña and investigators including Alex Dombrovski, MD (Pittsburgh Foundation Endowed Professor in Brain and Mind Research and...

César Escobar-Viera, MD, PhD; Nadine Melhem, PhD; Marta Peciña, MD, PhD; & Collaborators Receive Pitt Momentum Fund Award

Dr. Escobar-Viera & Colleagues Receive Pitt Momentum Fund Award

A team of investigators from Pitt Psychiatry, César Escobar-Viera, MD, PhD; Nadine Melhem, PhD; and Marta Peciña, MD, PhD, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Education, Public Health, and Arts and Sciences, have received a University of Pittsburgh Momentum Fund Award for their project, “Examining Psychosocial Correlates of Loneliness and Perceived Isolation Among...

Pitt Psychiatry News from the 2022 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting

2022 ACNP Annual Meeting Collage

Many Pitt Psychiatry faculty and trainees traveled to Phoenix—or participated remotely—for the 2022 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting in early December! Below is Pitt Psychiatry news from the meeting: President’s Plenary Marta Peciña, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), was selected as a President’s Plenary presenter, and discussed the latest work on endogenous opioid...