Tommaso Volpi

Associate Research Scientist in Radiology and Biomedical Imaging

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Associate Research Scientist in Radiology and Biomedical Imaging

Biography

Tommaso Volpi, MD, PhD, is a physician scientist with 8 years of experience in brain PET and multimodal neuroimaging.

During his PhD, Dr. Volpi worked on kinetic modeling of multiple PET tracers ([18F]FDG, [15O]H2O, [15O]O2) and integration with resting-state fMRI using multivariate analysis, with additional focus on image-derived input functions and PET connectivity methods.

Dr. Volpi's current research centers on PET kinetic modeling, with ongoing projects on non-invasive input function estimation and validation of novel tracers. He has played a leading role in evaluating the NeuroEXPLORER, Yale's newly installed ultra-high-resolution brain-dedicated PET-CT system.

He also focuses on applying PET and MRI biomarkers to psychiatric and neurological disorders, including studies in schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.

Last Updated on August 12, 2026.

Appointments

Radiology & Biomedical Imaging
Associate Research Scientist
Primary
Radiology & Biomedical Imaging

Radiology & Biomedical Imaging

Education & Training

PhD: University of Padova, Padova Neuroscience Center (2022)

MD: University of Padova (2017)

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Research

Overview

Medical Research Interests

Brain; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Positron-Emission Tomography; Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Public Health Interests

Biomarkers; Modeling

ORCID
0000-0002-5451-6710

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Tommaso Volpi's published research.

Richard Carson, PhD
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View 21 Common Publications
Jean-Dominique Gallezot, PhD
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View 10 Common Publications
Tianyi Zeng, PhD
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David Matuskey, MD
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View 8 Common Publications
Kathryn Fontaine
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View 8 Common Publications
Takuya Toyonaga, MD, PhD
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View 8 Common Publications

Publications

2026

Unveiling Functional‐Metabolic Synergy in the Healthy Brain: Multivariate Integration of Dynamic [ <scp> <sup>18</sup> F </scp> ] <scp>FDG</scp> ‐ <scp>PET</scp> and Resting‐State <scp>fMRI</scp>
Tarricone C, Vallini G, Baron G, Facca M, Silvestri E, Volpi T, Vlassenko AG, Goyal MS, Bertoldo A. Unveiling Functional‐Metabolic Synergy in the Healthy Brain: Multivariate Integration of Dynamic [ ¹⁸ F ] FDG ‐ PET and Resting‐State fMRI. Human Brain Mapping 2026, 47: e70651. DOI: 10.1002/hbm.70651.
Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Exploratory imaging in SWEDD: Insights from dopaminergic PET, synaptic density PET, and volumetric MRI
Ebrahimian Sadabad F, Volpi T, Tinaz S, Honhar P, Colon L, Mayeli M, Pittman B, Naganawa M, Dias M, Angarita G, Comley R, Carson R, Finnema S, Matuskey D. Exploratory imaging in SWEDD: Insights from dopaminergic PET, synaptic density PET, and volumetric MRI. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders 2026, 152: 108960. PMID: 42691866, DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2026.108960.
Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Glucose metabolism echoes long-range temporal correlations in the human brain
Facca M, Ridolfo A, Celli M, Tarricone C, Mazzonetto I, Volpi T, Vlassenko A, Goyal M, Corbetta M, Bertoldo A. Glucose metabolism echoes long-range temporal correlations in the human brain. Imaging Neuroscience 2026, 4: imag.a.1275. PMID: 42318034, PMCID: PMC13274566, DOI: 10.1162/imag.a.1275.
Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Lower Muscarinic M1 Receptor Availability in Schizophrenia: In Vivo PET Evidence
Volpi T, Radhakrishnan R, Hird R, Naganawa M, Nabulsi N, Najafzadeh S, Jacutin-Porte S, Labaree D, Carson R, Huang Y, D'Souza D. Lower Muscarinic M1 Receptor Availability in Schizophrenia: In Vivo PET Evidence. Biological Psychiatry 2026, s0006-3223(26)01316-8. PMID: 42285196, PMCID: PMC13507943, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2026.06.002.
Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Characterization and Initial Optimization of Reconstruction Performance for Detector Crosstalk of Ultra-high Performance Brain PET Imager
Zhang J, Fontaine K, Li T, Toyonaga T, Hu Y, Gallezot J, Zeng T, Volpi T, Lu Y, Marin T, Qi J, Carson R. Characterization and Initial Optimization of Reconstruction Performance for Detector Crosstalk of Ultra-high Performance Brain PET Imager. IEEE Transactions On Radiation And Plasma Medical Sciences 2026, PP: 1-1. DOI: 10.1109/trpms.2026.3698769.
Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Iterative Reconstruction Performance on the NeuroEXPLORER: Evaluation with Static and Dynamic Human Imaging
Hu Y, Zhang J, Gallezot J, Volpi T, Zeng T, Toyonaga T, Carson R. Iterative Reconstruction Performance on the NeuroEXPLORER: Evaluation with Static and Dynamic Human Imaging. IEEE Transactions On Radiation And Plasma Medical Sciences 2026, PP: 1-1. DOI: 10.1109/trpms.2026.3693626.
Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Lower synaptic density in mood circuitry underlies depression in Parkinson’s disease
Cayir S, Naganawa M, Volpi T, Sadabad F, Dias M, Yang Y, Elliott S, Ansari M, Pittman B, Esterlis I, Nabulsi N, Huang Y, Sanacora G, Comley R, Finnema S, Carson R, Tinaz S, Matuskey D, Holmes S. Lower synaptic density in mood circuitry underlies depression in Parkinson’s disease. Brain Communications 2026, 8: fcag136. PMID: 42109687, PMCID: PMC13152014, DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcag136.
Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Molecular connectivity studies of cerebral glucose metabolism and blood flow: A scoping review
Cavaliere C, Galli A, Meneghini C, Severino M, Peretti D, Nørgaard M, Tang C, Martini A, Bardiau M, Doyen M, Gonzalez-Escamilla G, Horwitz T, Perovnik M, Rullmann M, Talmasov D, Volpi T, Xu Z, Calhoun V, Di X, Eickhoff S, Habeck C, Jamadar S, Perani D, Sossi V, Yakushev I, Sala A, Pereira J, Veronese M, Caminiti S. Molecular connectivity studies of cerebral glucose metabolism and blood flow: A scoping review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2026, 185: 106623. PMID: 41794200, DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2026.106623.
Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus Statements
“Pseudo-reference-based Input Function Shape” (pRef-IFS): Towards a True image-derived input function for PET kinetic modeling
Volpi T, Naganawa M, Carson R, Hillmer A. “Pseudo-reference-based Input Function Shape” (pRef-IFS): Towards a True image-derived input function for PET kinetic modeling. Journal Of Cerebral Blood Flow And Metabolism : Official Journal Of The International Society Of Cerebral Blood Flow And Metabolism 2026, 46: 1238-1252. PMID: 41543053, PMCID: PMC12811094, DOI: 10.1177/0271678x251411712.
Peer-Reviewed Original Research

2025

Cranberry: Combined Rigid and Nonrigid Event-by-Event Motion Correction at Yale
Zhang J, Fontaine K, Volpi T, Zeng T, Du Y, Sun C, Lu Y, Toyonaga T, Onofrey J, Carson R. Cranberry: Combined Rigid and Nonrigid Event-by-Event Motion Correction at Yale. 2025 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium (NSS), Medical Imaging Conference (MIC) And Room Temperature Semiconductor Detector Conference (RTSD) 2025, 1-1. DOI: 10.1109/nss/mic/rtsd57106.2025.11286359.
Peer-Reviewed Original Research

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Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

Activities

activity
First-In-Human Studies of 18F-GATT-44 for In Vivo Imaging of the GABA Transporter Type 1
06/27/2026 - 06/30/2026Poster PresentationNeuroreceptor Mapping 2026
Details
Uppsala, C, Sweden
Collaborators
Tommaso Volpi
activity
Significant challenges in kinetic modeling of [18F]K40 for PET imaging of AMPA receptors
06/27/2026 - 06/30/2026Oral PresentationNeuroreceptor Mapping 2026
Details
Uppsala, C, Sweden
Collaborators
Tommaso Volpi
activity
18F-SynVesT-1 Kinetic Parameters on the NeuroEXPLORER: Focus on Small Brain Nuclei
06/27/2026 - 06/30/2026Poster PresentationNeuroreceptor Mapping 2026
Details
Uppsala, C, Sweden
Collaborators
Tommaso Volpi
activity
Automated Carotid Artery Image-Derived Blood Time–Activity Curve Extraction and K1 Estimation on NeuroEXPLORER: Validation Against Arterial Sampling
06/27/2026 - 06/30/2026Oral PresentationNeuroreceptor Mapping 2026
Details
Uppsala, C, Sweden
Collaborators
Tommaso Volpi
activity
A metabolic response function for measuring activation with FDG functional PET on the NeuroEXPLORER
06/27/2026 - 06/30/2026Oral PresentationNeuroReceptor Mapping 2026
Details
Uppsala, C, Sweden
Collaborators
Tommaso Volpi

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Honors

honor
2026 SNMMI's "Ones To Watch"
07/24/2026International AwardSociety of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Details
honor
JNM Editors’ Choice Awards for 2024
06/21/2025International AwardJournal of Nuclear Medicine
Details
honor
Brain & Brain PET 2025 Travel Award
06/04/2025International AwardBrain & Brain PET 2025
honor
PIDSC Young Investigator Award - Honorable Mention
06/09/2024International AwardSNMMI Annual Meeting 2024
Details
honor
NIH Travel Award 2023
09/09/2023International AwardWMIC 2023
Details

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News

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Get In Touch

Contacts

tommaso.volpi@yale.edu

Events

Oct 202615Thursday

Everyone
1:30 PM3:00 PM
Elisenda Bueichekú - Huili Sun - Tommaso Volpi
Yale Biomedical Imaging Institute (YBII) Advances in Biomedical Imaging Seminar Series
Brady Memorial Laboratory
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Titles

Biography

Appointments

Radiology & Biomedical Imaging

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Overview

Medical Research Interests

Public Health Interests

ORCID

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Richard Carson, PhD

Jean-Dominique Gallezot, PhD

Tianyi Zeng, PhD

David Matuskey, MD

Kathryn Fontaine

Takuya Toyonaga, MD, PhD

Publications

2026

2025

Activities

First-In-Human Studies of 18F-GATT-44 for In Vivo Imaging of the GABA Transporter Type 1

Significant challenges in kinetic modeling of [18F]K40 for PET imaging of AMPA receptors

18F-SynVesT-1 Kinetic Parameters on the NeuroEXPLORER: Focus on Small Brain Nuclei

Automated Carotid Artery Image-Derived Blood Time–Activity Curve Extraction and K1 Estimation on NeuroEXPLORER: Validation Against Arterial Sampling

A metabolic response function for measuring activation with FDG functional PET on the NeuroEXPLORER

Honors

2026 SNMMI's "Ones To Watch"

JNM Editors’ Choice Awards for 2024

Brain & Brain PET 2025 Travel Award

PIDSC Young Investigator Award - Honorable Mention

NIH Travel Award 2023

News

Volpi Named to ‘Ones to Watch’ List by Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging

Widespread M1 Receptor Deficits in Schizophrenia Found - Neuroscience News

Powerful New Brain PET Scanner Is Opening New Research Pathways

Brain Markers Could Yield Early Clues into Parkinson’s Disease

Contacts

Events

Yale Biomedical Imaging Institute (YBII) Advances in Biomedical Imaging Seminar Series