Adam Mecca, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of PsychiatryCards
About
Research
Publications
2026
Basal Forebrain Volume is Associated With Cortical Amyloid Burden in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults at Varying Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
Cho G, Kelly K, Toyonaga T, Miner B, Gelernter J, Varma P, van Dyck C, Mecca A, O’Dell R. Basal Forebrain Volume is Associated With Cortical Amyloid Burden in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults at Varying Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease. The American Journal Of Geriatric Psychiatry Open Science Education And Practice 2026, 11: 1-14. DOI: 10.1016/j.osep.2026.04.002.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBasal forebrain cholinergic systemMedial temporal lobeCortical amyloid burdenInverse associationMedial temporal lobe volumeFirst-degree family historyAssociated with cortical amyloid burdenCognitively unimpaired older adultsMiddle-aged adultsMiddle-aged individualsMedial temporal lobe atrophyRobust inverse associationAlzheimer's diseaseDistribution volume ratioCognitively unimpaired participantsMild cognitive impairmentOlder adultsMedial temporal lobe subregional volumesGenetic riskFamily historyIn vivo neuroimaging studiesNucleus basalisUnimpaired participantsForebrain cholinergic systemBasal forebrain volumeExploring Lymphovenous Anastomosis for Alzheimer's Disease: Addressing Brain Lymphatic Dysfunction, Feasibility, and Outcome Metrics.
Brown S, Klimitz F, Kipnis J, Benveniste H, Ringstad G, Eide P, Azizi S, Mecca A, Haykal S, Pomahac B. Exploring Lymphovenous Anastomosis for Alzheimer's Disease: Addressing Brain Lymphatic Dysfunction, Feasibility, and Outcome Metrics. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery 2026 PMID: 42133667, DOI: 10.1097/prs.0000000000013179.Peer-Reviewed Original Research0071 Hypoxic Burden: A Risk Factor for Deficits in CSF Mobility Supporting Brain Waste Clearance?
Cho G, Kam K, Mecca A, Benveniste H, Miner B, Varga A. 0071 Hypoxic Burden: A Risk Factor for Deficits in CSF Mobility Supporting Brain Waste Clearance? Sleep 2026, 49: a31-a31. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsag091.0071.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchObstructive sleep apneaSevere obstructive sleep apneaHypoxic burdenSleep fragmentationCerebrospinal fluidModerate to severe obstructive sleep apneaConclusions OSARespiratory effort related arousalsRisk factorsApnea-hypopnea indexRespiratory disturbance indexIn-lab polysomnographyCerebral blood flowMeasurement of cerebral blood flowBrain waste clearanceGlymphatic transportHypopnea indexIntermittent hypoxemiaSleep apneaOSA diagnosisCerebrospinal fluid flowAirway obstructionVascular injuryFragmented sleepCSF flowGeneration of brain PET synaptic density imaging from MRI and FDG-PET using a 3D Multi-stage Residual U-Net
Zheng X, Worhunsky P, Toyonaga T, Liu Q, Guo X, Zhou Y, Chen X, Zhou B, Mecca A, Chen M, O'Dell R, Van Dyck C, Carson R, Radhakrishnan R, Liu C. Generation of brain PET synaptic density imaging from MRI and FDG-PET using a 3D Multi-stage Residual U-Net. IEEE Transactions On Radiation And Plasma Medical Sciences 2026, PP: 1-1. DOI: 10.1109/trpms.2026.3690934.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchOptimized reference region and the effect on test-retest reliability and sensitivity to differences between Parkinson’s disease and control groups with [11C]UCB-J
Khattar N, Matuskey D, Gallezot J, Naganawa M, Holmes S, Sadabad F, Mayeli M, Esterlis I, van Dyck C, Mecca A, D’Souza D, Nabulsi N, Finnema S, Huang Y, Carson R, Toyonaga T. Optimized reference region and the effect on test-retest reliability and sensitivity to differences between Parkinson’s disease and control groups with [11C]UCB-J. Journal Of Cerebral Blood Flow And Metabolism : Official Journal Of The International Society Of Cerebral Blood Flow And Metabolism 2026, 0271678x261441071. PMID: 41960765, PMCID: PMC13068773, DOI: 10.1177/0271678x261441071.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSynaptic density imaging in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: A comparison of 18F‐SynVesT‐1 and 18F‐FDG PET
Fesharaki‐Zadeh A, Cayir S, Ibrahim W, Yang Y, Gallezot J, Naganawa M, Wu Y, Toyonaga T, Sadabad F, O'Dell R, Pittman B, Nabulsi N, Strittmatter S, Carson R, Huang Y, van Dyck C, Mecca A, Matuskey D. Synaptic density imaging in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: A comparison of 18F‐SynVesT‐1 and 18F‐FDG PET. Alzheimer's & Dementia 2026, 22: e71283. PMID: 41954197, PMCID: PMC13063251, DOI: 10.1002/alz.71283.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThis study investigates synaptic density imaging in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, showing that SV2A PET detects more pronounced synaptic loss than glucose hypometabolism using FDG PET, aiding early diagnosis and monitoring.Hearing Aid Use and Verbal Fluency as a Measure of Cognitive Function: A Cross-Sectional Study Using SHARE Data
Swamy MR, Mecca A. Hearing Aid Use and Verbal Fluency as a Measure of Cognitive Function: A Cross-Sectional Study Using SHARE Data. Innovation In Aging 2026, 9: igaf122.3408. DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igaf122.3408.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2025
The Neighborhoods Study: Examining the social exposome in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
George G, Keller S, Abner E, Adar S, Alosco M, Apostolova L, Bakulski K, Barnes L, Bateman J, Batterman S, Beach T, Bendlin B, Bennett D, Betthauser T, Brewer J, Buckingham W, Carrión C, Chodosh J, Craft S, Croff R, Fabio A, Farias S, Feldman E, Goldstein F, Goutman S, Green‐Harris G, Henderson V, Karikari T, Kofler J, Kucharska‐Newton A, Lamar M, Lanata S, Lepping R, Lingler J, Lockhart S, Mahnken J, Marsh K, Mathew J, Mecca A, Meyer O, Miller B, Morris J, Neugroschl J, O'Connor M, Paulson H, Perrin R, Pettigrew C, Pierce A, Powell W, Pyarajan S, Raji C, Reiman E, Risacher S, Rissman R, Espinosa P, Sano M, Saykin A, Serrano G, Singh V, Soldan A, Sultzer D, van Dyck C, Whitmer R, Wisniewski T, Woltjer R, Yu M, Zhu C, Kind A. The Neighborhoods Study: Examining the social exposome in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Alzheimer's & Dementia 2025, 21: e70810. PMID: 41230793, PMCID: PMC12613078, DOI: 10.1002/alz.70810.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAlzheimer's Disease Research CenterSocial exposomeArea Deprivation IndexNeighborhood studiesBrain healthNational Alzheimer's Coordinating CenterAdverse social exposuresDementia riskDeprivation indexADRDHealth measuresExposome factorsAlzheimer's diseaseDementiaStudy findingsExposomeSocial exposureCoordinating CenterCognitive functionHealthData collectionPreliminary findingsResearch CenterAlzheimerRiskConnectivity as a universal predictor of tau progression in atypical Alzheimer’s disease
de Bruin H, Groot C, Barthel H, Bischof G, Blazhenets G, Boellaard R, Boon B, Brendel M, Cash D, Coath W, Day G, Dickerson B, Doering E, Drzezga A, van Dyck C, van Eimeren T, van der Flier W, Fredericks C, Fryer T, van de Giessen E, Gordon B, Graff-Radford J, Grinberg L, Hansson O, Hobbs D, Hoenig M, Höglinger G, Irwin D, Jones P, Josephs K, Katsumi Y, La Joie R, Lee E, Levin J, Malpetti M, McGinnis S, Mecca A, Mohanty R, Nasrallah I, O'Brien J, O'Dell R, Palleis C, Perneczky R, Phillips J, Putcha D, Rabinovici G, Rahmouni N, Rosa-Neto P, Rowe J, Rullmann M, Sabri O, Saur D, Schildan A, Schott J, Schroeter M, Seeley W, Servaes S, Sintini I, Smith R, Spina S, Stevenson J, Stomrud E, Strandberg O, Therriault J, Tideman P, Touroutoglou A, Trainer A, Visser D, Wekselman F, Weston P, Whitwell J, Wolk D, Yong K, Pijnenburg Y, Franzmeier N, Ossenkoppele R. Connectivity as a universal predictor of tau progression in atypical Alzheimer’s disease. Brain 2025, 148: 3893-3912. PMID: 40810361, PMCID: PMC12588720, DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaf279.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTau PET levelsTau pathologyTau progressionAlzheimer's diseaseTau patternsProgression of tau pathologyTau-PETFunctional connectivityLongitudinal tau-PETAlzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging InitiativeTau PET dataTau propagationTau proteinopathyClinical manifestation of Alzheimer's diseaseDisease variantsAtypical AD patientsTau distributionTau stainingFMRI-based functional connectivityFunctional connectivity profilesAtypical Alzheimer's diseaseManifestation of Alzheimer's diseaseSpatial heterogeneityTau PET tracersHealthy elderly controlsAssociations between fluid biomarkers and PET imaging ([11C]UCB‐J) of synaptic pathology in Alzheimer's disease
Nilsson J, Mecca A, Ashton N, Salardini E, O'Dell R, Carson R, Benedet A, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, van Dyck C, Brinkmalm A. Associations between fluid biomarkers and PET imaging ([11C]UCB‐J) of synaptic pathology in Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & Dementia 2025, 21: e70403. PMID: 40878905, PMCID: PMC12245979, DOI: 10.1002/alz.70403.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPositron emission tomographySynaptic densitySynaptic proteinsMass spectrometryC]UCB-J positron emission tomographyLevels of synaptic proteinsAlzheimer's diseaseReduction of synaptic densityCerebrospinal fluidSynaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2AAssociated with higher levelsSyntaxin 7PEBP-1CN participantsAD groupEarly ADAD patientsSynaptic pathologyPositron emission tomography imagingEmission tomographySV2A positron emission tomographyNeuronal pentraxinsSpectrometryGDI-1Syntaxin 1B
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Studying the Adult Brain
IRB ID2000025671RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date07/31/2025Recruiting ParticipantsImaging mGluR5 and synaptic density in psychiatric disorders
IRB ID2000020186RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date01/31/2018Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18 years - 80 years
Clinical Care
Overview
Adam Mecca, MD, PhD is a geriatric psychiatrist who specializes in memory disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and other related conditions.
“I enjoy meeting patients and their families and working together to understand the cause of a person's symptoms and finding the best way to help,” Dr. Mecca says. “I value the opportunity to work with patients experiencing changes in their memory and thinking. We discuss the important changes occurring in their life, and work on building supports so that they can continue to thrive in all ways possible.”
An active researcher, Dr. Mecca studies Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. “It is a very satisfying focus since memory disorders affect so many people. There is an enormous need for effective treatments,” he says. “I am passionate about bringing understanding of a life-altering disease process into awareness. It is vital to educate, provide treatment, and to help patients and families work through what is often a progressive and incurable illness.”
As the associate director of the Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit, he works with a team to better understand Alzheimer’s disease and develop effective therapies. He and his collaborators are creating neuroimaging methods to investigate the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease.
Their efforts have led to a novel positron emission tomography (PET) imaging technique to measure decreases in the number of connections between nerve cells in people with Alzheimer’s disease. This work may accelerate the development of effective treatments.
Clinical Specialties
Geriatric Psychiatry
Fact Sheets
Dementia
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Board Certifications
Geriatric Psychiatry
- Certification Organization
- AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
- Original Certification Date
- 2018
Psychiatry
- Certification Organization
- AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
- Original Certification Date
- 2016
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