CV Science

Serge Ahmed PhD Neurosciences and Pharmacology

Course and current status

Current position

CNRS Research Director

Head of team « Addiction, compulsion and dopaminergic dysregulation syndrome », Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université Victor Segalen-Bordeaux 2, France

Education and training

1999: Research Director (Tenure permanent position) at CNRS

1996–1999: Postdoctoral research associate, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA

1995: PhD in Neurosciences and Pharmacology, Univ. Bordeaux II

1991: Master's degree, Neurosciences and Pharmacology, Univ. Bordeaux II

1990: Master's degree, Experimental Psychology; Abnormal Psychology, Université Louis Pasteur (Strasbourg I)

1986 – 1987: Undergraduate, Psychology; Ethology

Scientific summary

Our major goal is to discover and to analyse the neurobiological dysfunctions that underlie compulsive and addictive behaviors (e.g., drug addiction; sugar addiction). These behaviors currently affect several millions French people and also occur in some neurodegenerative diseases as an unwanted consequence of some drug medications (e.g., dopaminergic dysregulation syndrome in Parkinson patients chronically treated with dopamine agonists). A better knowledge of addiction-causing brain dysfunctions should ultimately lead to the development of novel anti-addiction therapies.