Firat Kara

Firat Kara

I am Firat Kara, PhD, a neuroimaging researcher in Radiology and Neuroradiology at Mayo Clinic. My work focuses on MRI, MR spectroscopy, PET imaging, and blood-based biomarkers in aging, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and women's brain health.

Research Interests

Selected Publications

  1. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2026. Long-term amyloid PET and MRI outcomes in a menopausal hormone therapy trial. Kantarci K, Kara F, Tosakulwong N, Fought AJ, Schwarz CG, Senjem ML, et al. doi
  2. Neurobiology of Aging, 2026. 1H-MR spectroscopy biomarkers are associated with plasma-derived biomarkers of amyloid-beta and tau in the early phase of AD continuum. Kara F, Joers JM, Przybelski SA, Algeciras-Schimnich A, Gunter JL, Jack CR Jr, et al. doi
  3. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025. Decoding thalamic glial interplay in multiple sclerosis through proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and positron emission tomography. Kara F, Neyal N, Kamykowski MG, Schwarz CG, Kendall-Thomas J, Morrison HA, et al. doi
  4. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2025. Premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy and Alzheimer's disease imaging biomarkers later in life. Kantarci K, Kapoor E, Geske JR, Castillo A, Fields JA, Kara F, et al. doi
  5. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024. Understanding proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy neurochemical changes using Alzheimer's disease biofluid, PET, postmortem pathology biomarkers, and APOE genotype. Kara F, Kantarci K. doi
  6. Neurobiology of Aging, 2022. 1H MR spectroscopy biomarkers of neuronal and synaptic function are associated with tau deposition in cognitively unimpaired older adults. Kara F, Joers JM, Deelchand DK, Park YW, Przybelski SA, Lesnick TG, et al. doi
  7. Neurobiology of Aging, 2021. Long-term ovarian hormone deprivation alters functional connectivity, brain neurochemical profile and white matter integrity in the Tg2576 amyloid mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Kara F, Belloy ME, Voncken R, Sarwari Z, Garima Y, Anckaerts C, et al. doi

Collaborators and Affiliations

Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic Radiology, Mayo Clinic Women's Health Research Center, and collaborators in neurology, radiology, quantitative health sciences, and magnetic resonance research.