Nanthia Suthana

Bio

The Suthana Laboratory aims to advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying memory and emotion, with a focus on developing innovative neuromodulation and neuroimaging technologies. By integrating intracranial electrophysiological recordings with non-invasive peripheral measurements, the lab seeks to improve treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders, and provide new tools for studying brain function in real-world contexts.

Education

• Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, 2009

Positions

• Professor in Neurosurgery
• Professor of Biomedical Engineering
• Professor of Neurobiology

Courses Taught

• NEUROSCI 755: Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Neuroscience (IPCN) Independent Research Rotation

Publications

• Choi W, Nho Y-H, Qiu L, Chang A, Campos G, Seilheimer RL, et al. Brain activity associated with breakthrough food preoccupation in an individual on tirzepatide. Nat Med. 2025 Dec;31(12):4038u201343.
• Ma L, Yosef B, Talu I, Batista D, Jenkens-Drake E, Suthana N, et al. Effects of virtual reality on spatiotemporal gait parameters and freezing of gait in Parkinsonu2019s disease. Npj Parkinson S Disease. 2025 Dec 1;11(1).
• Gill JL, Omidbeigi M, Ryu J, Suthana N, Kao JC, Bari A. Multiregional representations of intertemporal decision making in human single neurons. Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 8;15(1):24406.
• Seeber M, Stangl M, Vallejo Martelo M, Topalovic U, Hiller S, Halpern CH, et al. Human neural dynamics of real-world and imagined navigation. Nat Hum Behav. 2025 Apr;9(4):781u201393.
• Seeber M, Stangl M, Vallejo Martelo M, Topalovic U, Hiller S, Halpern CH, et al. Publisher Correction: Human neural dynamics of real-world and imagined navigation. Nat Hum Behav. 2025 Apr;9(4):825.
• Leuchter MK, Oughli HA, Durbin KA, Jackson NJ, Elashoff D, Chang TS, et al. Broad repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the precuneus in Alzheimer's disease: A rationale and study design. Alzheimer S and Dementia Translational Research and Clinical Interventions. 2025 Jan 1;11(1).
• Hoang-Dang B, Halavi SE, Rotstein NM, Spivak NM, Dang NH, Cvijanovic L, et al. Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Targeting the Amygdala May Increase Psychophysiological and Subjective Negative Emotional Reactivity in Healthy Older Adults. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science. 2024 Sep 1;4(5).
• Nho Y-H, Rolle CE, Topalovic U, Shivacharan RS, Cunningham TN, Hiller S, et al. Responsive deep brain stimulation guided by ventral striatal electrophysiology of obsession durably ameliorates compulsion. Neuron. 2024 Jan 3;112(1):73-83.e4.
• Stangl M, Maoz SL, Suthana N. Invasive electrophysiological recordings from humans during navigation. In: Encyclopedia of the Human Brain Second Edition Volumes 1 5. 2024. p. V2-V2-214.
• Maoz SLL, Stangl M, Topalovic U, Batista D, Hiller S, Aghajan ZM, et al. Dynamic neural representations of memory and space during human ambulatory navigation. Nature communications. 2023 Oct;14(1):6643.
• Stangl M, Maoz SL, Suthana N. Mobile cognition: imaging the human brain in the 'real world'. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2023 Jun;24(6):347u201362.
• Gill JL, Schneiders JA, Stangl M, Aghajan ZM, Vallejo M, Hiller S, et al. A pilot study of closed-loop neuromodulation for treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder. Nat Commun. 2023 May 24;14(1):2997.
• Topalovic U, Barclay S, Ling C, Alzuhair A, Yu W, Hokhikyan V, et al. A wearable platform for closed-loop stimulation and recording of single-neuron and local field potential activity in freely moving humans. Nat Neurosci. 2023 Mar;26(3):517u201327.
• Kuhn T, Spivak NM, Dang BH, Becerra S, Halavi SE, Rotstein N, et al. Transcranial focused ultrasound selectively increases perfusion and modulates functional connectivity of deep brain regions in humans. Front Neural Circuits. 2023;17:1120410.
• Feinsinger A, Pouratian N, Ebadi H, Adolphs R, Andersen R, Beauchamp MS, et al. Ethical commitments, principles, and practices guiding intracranial neuroscientific research in humans. Neuron. 2022 Jan 19;110(2):188u201394.
• Vedam-Mai V, Deisseroth K, Giordano J, Lazaro-Munoz G, Chiong W, Suthana N, et al. Corrigendum: Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Advances in Optogenetics, Ethical Issues Affecting DBS Research, Neuromodulatory Approaches for Depression, Adaptive Neurostimulation, and Emerging DBS Technologies (Front. Hum. Neurosci., (2021), 15, (644593), 10.3389/fnhum.2021.644593). Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2021 Oct 1;15.
• Mobbs D, Wise T, Suthana N, Guzmu00e1n N, Kriegeskorte N, Leibo JZ. Promises and challenges of human computational ethology. Neuron. 2021 Jul 21;109(14):2224u201338.
• Suthana N, Ekstrom AD, Yassa MA, Stark C. Pattern Separation in the Human Hippocampus: Response to Quiroga. Trends Cogn Sci. 2021 Jun;25(6):423u20134.
• Vedam-Mai V, Deisseroth K, Giordano J, Lazaro-Munoz G, Chiong W, Suthana N, et al. Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Advances in Optogenetics, Ethical Issues Affecting DBS Research, Neuromodulatory Approaches for Depression, Adaptive Neurostimulation, and Emerging DBS Technologies. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2021 Apr 19;15.
• Stangl M, Topalovic U, Inman CS, Hiller S, Villaroman D, Aghajan ZM, et al. Boundary-anchored neural mechanisms of location-encoding for self and others. Nature. 2021 Jan;589(7842):420u20135.
• Mankin EA, Aghajan ZM, Schuette P, Tran ME, Tchemodanov N, Titiz A, et al. Stimulation of the right entorhinal white matter enhances visual memory encoding in humans. Brain Stimul. 2021;14(1):131u201340.
• Topalovic U, Aghajan ZM, Villaroman D, Hiller S, Christov-Moore L, Wishard TJ, et al. Wireless Programmable Recording and Stimulation of Deep Brain Activity in Freely Moving Humans. Neuron. 2020 Oct 28;108(2):322-334.e9.
• Ramirez-Zamora A, Giordano J, Gunduz A, Alcantara J, Cagle JN, Cernera S, et al. Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Advances in Neurophysiology, Adaptive DBS, Virtual Reality, Neuroethics and Technology. Front Hum Neurosci. 2020;14:54.
• Olsen RK, Carr VA, Daugherty AM, La Joie R, Amaral RSC, Amunts K, et al. Progress update from the hippocampal subfields group. Alzheimer S and Dementia Diagnosis Assessment and Disease Monitoring. 2019 Dec 1;11:439u201349.
• Ralph-Nearman C, Arevian AC, Puhl M, Kumar R, Villaroman D, Suthana N, et al. A Novel Mobile Tool (Somatomap) to Assess Body Image Perception Pilot Tested With Fashion Models and Nonmodels: Cross-Sectional Study. JMIR Ment Health. 2019 Oct 29;6(10):e14115.
• Saravanapandian V, Sparck EM, Cheng KY, Yu F, Yaeger C, Hu T, et al. Quantitative assessments reveal improved neuroscience engagement and learning through outreach. J Neurosci Res. 2019 Sep;97(9):1153u201362.
• Suthana N, Aghajan ZM, Mankin EA, Lin A. Reporting Guidelines and Issues to Consider for Using Intracranial Brain Stimulation in Studies of Human Declarative Memory. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2018 Dec 4;12.
• Reggente N, Essoe JKY, Aghajan ZM, Tavakoli AV, McGuire JF, Suthana NA, et al. Enhancing the ecological validity of fMRI memory research using virtual reality. Vol. 12, Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2018.
• M Aghajan Z, Schuette P, Fields TA, Tran ME, Siddiqui SM, Hasulak NR, et al. Theta Oscillations in the Human Medial Temporal Lobe during Real-World Ambulatory Movement. Curr Biol. 2017 Dec 18;27(24):3743-3751.e3.
• Nir Y, Andrillon T, Marmelshtein A, Suthana N, Cirelli C, Tononi G, et al. Selective neuronal lapses precede human cognitive lapses following sleep deprivation. Nat Med. 2017 Dec;23(12):1474u201380.
• Titiz AS, Hill MRH, Mankin EA, M Aghajan Z, Eliashiv D, Tchemodanov N, et al. Theta-burst microstimulation in the human entorhinal area improves memory specificity. Elife. 2017 Oct 24;6.
• Wisse LEM, Daugherty AM, Olsen RK, Berron D, Carr VA, Stark CEL, et al. A harmonized segmentation protocol for hippocampal and parahippocampal subregions: Why do we need one and what are the key goals? Hippocampus. 2017 Jan;27(1):3u201311.
• Cohen MS, Rissman J, Suthana NA, Castel AD, Knowlton BJ. Effects of aging on value-directed modulation of semantic network activity during verbal learning. Neuroimage. 2016 Jan 15;125:1046u201362.
• Suthana NA, Parikshak NN, Ekstrom AD, Ison MJ, Knowlton BJ, Bookheimer SY, et al. Specific responses of human hippocampal neurons are associated with better memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2015 Aug;112(33):10503u20138.
• Suthana NA, Donix M, Wozny DR, Bazih A, Jones M, Heidemann RM, et al. High-resolution 7T fMRI of Human Hippocampal Subfields during Associative Learning. J Cogn Neurosci. 2015 Jun;27(6):1194u2013206.
• Yushkevich PA, Amaral RSC, Augustinack JC, Bender AR, Bernstein JD, Boccardi M, et al. Quantitative comparison of 21 protocols for labeling hippocampal subfields and parahippocampal subregions in in vivo MRI: towards a harmonized segmentation protocol. Neuroimage. 2015 May 1;111:526u201341.
• Miller JF, Fried I, Suthana N, Jacobs J. Repeating spatial activations in human entorhinal cortex. Curr Biol. 2015 Apr 20;25(8):1080u20135.
• Wagshal D, Knowlton BJ, Suthana NA, Cohen JR, Poldrack RA, Bookheimer SY, et al. Evidence for corticostriatal dysfunction during cognitive skill learning in adolescent siblings of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 2014 Sep;40(5):1030u20139.
• Cohen MS, Rissman J, Suthana NA, Castel AD, Knowlton BJ. Value-based modulation of memory encoding involves strategic engagement of fronto-temporal semantic processing regions. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2014 Jun;14(2):578u201392.
• Suthana N, Fried I. Deep brain stimulation for enhancement of learning and memory. Neuroimage. 2014 Jan 15;85 Pt 3(0 3):996u20131002.
• Donix M, Burggren AC, Scharf M, Marschner K, Suthana NA, Siddarth P, et al. APOE associated hemispheric asymmetry of entorhinal cortical thickness in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Psychiatry Res. 2013 Dec 30;214(3):212u201320.
• Jacobs J, Weidemann CT, Miller JF, Solway A, Burke JF, Wei X-X, et al. Direct recordings of grid-like neuronal activity in human spatial navigation. Nature neuroscience. 2013 Sep;16(9):1188u201390.
• Suthana N, Fried I. Percepts to recollections: insights from single neuron recordings in the human brain. Trends Cogn Sci. 2012 Aug;16(8):427u201336.
• Suthana N, Fried I. The authors reply. New England Journal of Medicine. 2012 May 17;366(20):1946.
• Suthana N, Haneef Z, Stern J, Mukamel R, Behnke E, Knowlton B, et al. Memory enhancement and deep-brain stimulation of the entorhinal area. N Engl J Med. 2012 Feb 9;366(6):502u201310.
• Kern KC, Ekstrom AD, Suthana NA, Giesser BS, Montag M, Arshanapalli A, et al. Fornix damage limits verbal memory functional compensation in multiple sclerosis. Neuroimage. 2012 Feb 1;59(3):2932u201340.
• Romero-Calderu00f3n R, Ou2019Hare ED, Suthana NA, Scott-Van Zeeland AA, Rizk-Jackson A, Attar A, et al. Project brainstorm: using neuroscience to connect college students with local schools. PLoS Biol. 2012;10(4):e1001310.
• Staba RJ, Ekstrom AD, Suthana NA, Burggren A, Fried I, Engel J, et al. Gray matter loss correlates with mesial temporal lobe neuronal hyperexcitability inside the human seizure-onset zone. Epilepsia. 2012 Jan;53(1):25u201334.
• Suthana N, Ekstrom A, Moshirvaziri S, Knowlton B, Bookheimer S. Dissociations within human hippocampal subregions during encoding and retrieval of spatial information. Hippocampus. 2011 Jul;21(7):694u2013701.
• Burggren AC, Renner B, Jones M, Donix M, Suthana NA, Martin-Harris L, et al. Thickness in entorhinal and subicular cortex predicts episodic memory decline in mild cognitive impairment. Int J Alzheimers Dis. 2011 Mar 15;2011:956053.
• Suthana NA, Krupa A, Donix M, Burggren A, Ekstrom AD, Jones M, et al. Reduced hippocampal CA2, CA3, and dentate gyrus activity in asymptomatic people at genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease. Neuroimage. 2010 Nov 15;53(3):1077u201384.
• Donix M, Burggren AC, Suthana NA, Siddarth P, Ekstrom AD, Krupa AK, et al. Family history of Alzheimer's disease and hippocampal structure in healthy people. Am J Psychiatry. 2010 Nov;167(11):1399u2013406.
• Donix M, Burggren AC, Suthana NA, Siddarth P, Ekstrom AD, Krupa AK, et al. Longitudinal changes in medial temporal cortical thickness in normal subjects with the APOE-4 polymorphism. Neuroimage. 2010 Oct 15;53(1):37u201343.
• Suthana NA, Ekstrom AD, Moshirvaziri S, Knowlton B, Bookheimer SY. Human hippocampal CA1 involvement during allocentric encoding of spatial information. J Neurosci. 2009 Aug 26;29(34):10512u20139.
• Ekstrom AD, Bazih AJ, Suthana NA, Al-Hakim R, Ogura K, Zeineh M, et al. Advances in high-resolution imaging and computational unfolding of the human hippocampus. Neuroimage. 2009 Aug 1;47(1):42u20139.
• Ekstrom A, Suthana N, Millett D, Fried I, Bookheimer S. Correlation between BOLD fMRI and theta-band local field potentials in the human hippocampal area. J Neurophysiol. 2009 May;101(5):2668u201378.
• Ekstrom A, Suthana N, Behnke E, Salamon N, Bookheimer S, Fried I. High-resolution depth electrode localization and imaging in patients with pharmacologically intractable epilepsy. J Neurosurg. 2008 Apr;108(4):812u20135.
• Wang LM, Suthana NA, Chaudhury D, Weaver DR, Colwell CS. Melatonin inhibits hippocampal long-term potentiation. The European journal of neuroscience. 2005 Nov;22(9):2231u20137.

In The News

• Where High-Tech and Neuroscience Meet to Provide Relief for PTSD (Jun 12, 2025 | School of Medicine)