Dr. Carlson is an experimentally and clinically trained psychologist in normal and pathological forms of cognitive aging. She has examined both environmental and pharmacologic risk modifiers of cognitive aging and has an ongoing R01 in the Women’s Health and Aging Study II to characterize trajectories of aging and their downstream effects on higher-order instrumental activities of daily living. She collaborates in a national, randomized, controlled primary prevention trial of dementia, entitled the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study (GEMS; DeKosky, PI), where she serves as PI at the Johns Hopkins field site. She has also collaborated in the design and evaluation of an "everyday" activity intervention, entitled "Experience Corps." This program trains and places teams of older adults into Baltimore City elementary schools to facilitate literacy and learning readiness in young children. From this work, Dr. Carlson has initiated a nested trial within a larger randomized trial of physical function and memory in Baltimore (Fried, PI). This nested trial is evaluating Program impact on older adults’ mind-body health via use of neuroimaging, fasting blood serum, salivary cortisol, and accelerometry.

dementia, cognitive aging, memory, cognitive activity, physical activity, physical function, IADLs, prevention, hormone replacement therapy, mental health, cognitive frailty

National Institute of Aging (NIA) R01 Grant, October 2002: Cognitive Pathways to Disability

National Institute of Aging (NIA) R03 Grant, October 2001: Does cognitive activity promote healthy aging?

National Institute of Aging (NIA) R03 Grant, October 2000: Quantifying the psychometric properties of cognitive activity

American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) Award, June 1999: Characterizing cognitive activity in older adults

National Research Service Postdoctoral Fellowship, Dementias of Aging, Johns Hopkins University

National Research Service Postdoctoral Fellowship, Demography of Aging, Johns Hopkins University

Snitz BE, Saxton J, Lopez OL, Ives DG, Dunn LO, Rapp SR, Carlson MC, Fitzpatrick AL, and DeKosky ST for the GEM Study Investigators. (In press). Identifying Mild Cognitive Impairment at Baseline in the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study. Aging and Mental Health.

Carlson MC, Helms MJ, Steffens DC, Burke JR, Potter GG, & Plassman BL. (In press) Mid-life activity predicts risk of dementia in older male twin pairs. Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

Carlson MC, Xue QL, Zhou J, & Fried LP. (In press). Executive decline and dysfunction precedes memory decline: The Women’s Health and Aging Study II. Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

Carlson MC, Saczynski JS, Rebok GW, Seeman T, McGill S, Tielsch J, Glass TA, Frick K, Hill J, & Fried, LP. (In press). Exploring the effects of an “everyday” activity program on executive function and memory in older adults: Experience Corps®. The Gerontologist.

Steffens DC, Chung H, Krishnan KR, Longstreth WT Jr, Carlson M, Burke GL. (2008). Antidepressant Treatment and Worsening White Matter on Serial Cranial Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Elderly: The Cardiovascular Health Study. Stroke; 39(3):857-62. Epub Jan 31.

Mielke MM, Xue QL, Zhou J, Chaves PH, Fried LP, Carlson MC. Baseline Serum Cholesterol Is Selectively Associated With Motor Speed and Not Rates of Cognitive Decline: The Women's Health and Aging Study II. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. 2008 Jun;63(6):619-24.

Huang TL, Carlson MC, Fitzpatrick AL, Kuller L, Fried LP, & Zandi PP. (2008) Knee height and arm span: A reflection of early life risk factors. Neurology:70(19 Pt 2):1818-26.

Mielke MM, Bandaru VV, Haughey NJ, Rabins PV, Lyketsos CG, Carlson MC. Serum sphingomyelins and ceramides are early predictors of memory impairment. Neurobiology and Aging. 2008 May 1. [Epub ahead of print].

Varadhan R, Walston J, Cappola AR, Carlson MC, Wand GS, Fried LP. Higher levels and blunted diurnal variation of cortisol in frail older women. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences. 2008 Feb;63(2):190-5.

Yasar S, Zhou J, Varadhan R, Carlson MC. The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and diuretics is associated with a reduced incidence of impairment on cognition in elderly women. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2008 Jul;84(1):119-26. Epub 2008 Mar 19.

Tighe SK, Leoutsakos JM, Carlson MC, Onyike CU, Samus Q, Baker A, Brandt J, Rabins PV, Mayer L, Rosenblatt A, Lyketsos CG. The association between activity participation and time to discharge in the assisted living setting. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Jun;23(6):586-91.

Fitzpatrick AL, Buchanan CK, Nahin RL, Dekosky ST, Atkinson HH, Carlson MC, Williamson JD; Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study Investigators. Associations of gait speed and other measures of physical function with cognition in a healthy cohort of elderly persons. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. 2007 Nov; 62(11):1244-51.

Rebok GW, Carlson MC, Langbaum JB. Training and maintaining memory abilities in healthy older adults: traditional and novel approaches. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences. 2007 Jun; 62 Spec No 1:53-61. Review.

Kim DH, Lipsitz LA, Ferrucci L, Varadhan R, Guralnik JM, Carlson MC, Fleisher LA, Fried LP, Chaves PH. Association between reduced heart rate variability and cognitive impairment in older disabled women in the community: Women's Health and Aging Study I. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2006 Nov; 54(11):1751-7.

Shih RA, Glass TA, Bandeen-Roche K, Carlson MC, Bolla KI, Todd AC, Schwartz BS. (2006). Environmental lead exposure and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. Neurology. 2006 Nov 14;67(9):1556-62. Epub 2006 Sep 13.

Chaves PHM, Carlson MC, Ferrucci L, Guralnik JM, Semba R, & Fried LP. (2006). Association between mild anemia and executive function impairment in community-dwelling older women: The Women’s Health and Aging Study I. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 54:1429-1435.

Studenski S, Carlson MC, Fillit H, Greenough WT, Kramer A, Rebok GW. (2006). From bedside to bench: does mental and physical activity promote cognitive vitality in late life? Sci Aging Knowledge Environ. 28; (10):p. 21. adults. Neurology. 67(9):1556-62. Epub 2006 Sep 13.

Tan EJ, Xue QL, Li T, Carlson MC, Fried LP. Volunteering: a physical activity intervention for older adults--The Experience Corps program in Baltimore. Journal of Urban Health. 2006 Sep;83(5):954-69.

Fogel J, Carlson MC. (2006). Soap operas and talk shows on television are associated with poorer cognition in older women. Journal of the Southern Medical Association, 99, 226-233.

Huang TL, Zandi PP, Tucker KL, Fitzpatrick AL, Kuller LH, Fried LP, Burke GL, Carlson MC. (2005). Benefits of fatty fish on dementia risk are stronger for those without APOE e4. Neurology. 65:1409-1414.

Windham BG, Griswold ME, Fried LP, Rubin GS, Xue QL, Carlson MC. Impaired vision and the ability to take medications. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2006 May;54(5):863; author reply 863-5.

Fried LP, Frick K, Carlson MC, & Rebok GW. (2006). Experience Corps: A social model for health promotion for older adults that, simultaneously, harnesses the social capital of an aging society. G+G-Wissenschaft.

Lopez OL, Becker JT, Jagust W, Fitzpatrick A, Carlson MC, DeKosky ST, Breitner J, Lyketsos C, Jones B, Kawas C, Kuller LH. (2006). Neuropsychological characteristics of mild cognitive impairment subgroups. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. 77:159-65.

Bernick C, Katz R, Smith NL, Rapp S, Bhadelia R, Carlson MC, Kuller L, The Cardiovascular Health Study Group. (2005) Statins and cognitive function in the elderly. Neurology. Nov 8;65:1388-94.

Windham BG, Griswold ME, Fried LP, Rubin GS, Xue Q, & Carlson MC. (2005). Impaired vision and the ability to take medications. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. July 53:1179–1190.

Podewils LJ, Guallar E, Kuller LH, Fried LP, Lopez OL, Carlson MC, Lyketsos CG. (2005) Physical activity, APOE genotype, and dementia risk: findings from the cardiovascular health cognition study. American Journal of Epidemiology. Apr 1;161(7):639-51

Lopez OL, Kuller LH, Becker JT, Jagust WJ, DeKosky ST, Fitzpatrick A, Breitner J, Lyketsos C, Kawas C, Carlson M. (2005). Classification of vascular dementia in the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study. Neurology, 64:1539-47.

Carlson MC, Xue Q, Fried LP, Tekwe C, & Brandt J. (2005) Validation of the Hopkins Medication Schedule to objectively measure compliance. The Women’s Health and Aging Study II. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. 60A:217-223.

Saxton J, Lopez OL, Ratcliff G, Dulberg C, Fried LP, Carlson MC, Newman AB, Kuller L. (2004) Preclinical Alzheimer disease: neuropsychological test performance 1.5 to 8 years prior to onset. Neurology. 28;63:2341-7.

Elkins JS, O'Meara ES, Longstreth WT, Jr, Carlson MC, Manolio TA, Johnston SC. (2004). Stroke risk factors and loss of high cognitive function. Neurology. 14;63:793-9.

Fried LP, Carlson MC, Freedman M, Frick KD, Glass TA, Hill JS, McGill S, Rebok GW, Seeman T, Tielsch J, Wasik B, Zeger S. (2004). A social model for health promotion for an aging population: initial evidence on the Experience CorpsTM model. Journal of Urban Health. 81:64-78.

Rebok GW, Carlson MC, Glass TA, McGill S, Hill J, Wasik B, Ialongo N, Frick KD, Fried LP. (2004). Short-Term Impact of Experience Corps® Participation on Children and Schools: Results from a randomized pilot trial. Journal of Urban Health. 81:79-93.

Frick KD, Carlson MC, Glass TA, McGill S, Rebok GW, Simpson C, & Fried LP. (2004). Modeled Cost-Effectiveness of the Experience CorpsTM: Baltimore. Journal of Urban Health. 81(1):106-17.

Lopez OL, Jagust WJ, DeKosky ST, Becker JT, Fitzpatrick A, Dulberg C, Breitner JCS, Lyketsos C, Jones B, Kawas C, Carlson M, & Kuller LH. (2004) Prevalence and classification of mild cognitive impairment in the Cardiovascular Health Study Cognitive Study: Part I. Archives of Neurology, 60, 1385-9.

Lopez OL, Jagust WJ, Dulberg C, Becker JT, DeKosky ST, Fitzpatrick A, Breitner JCS, Lyketsos C, Jones B, Kawas C, Carlson M, & Kuller LH. (2003). Risk factors for mild cognitive impairment in the Cardiovascular Health Study Cognitive Study. Part II. Archives of Neurology, 60, 1394-9.

Johnston SC, O'Meara ES, Manolio TA, Lefkowitz D, O'Leary DH, Goldstein S, Carlson MC, Fried LP, Longstreth WT Jr. (2004) Cognitive impairment and decline are associated with carotid artery disease in patients without clinically evident cerebrovascular disease. Annals of Internal Medicine. Feb 17;140(4):237-47.

Zandi PP, Carlson MC, Plassman BL, Welsh-Bohmer KA, Mayer LS, Steffens DC, Breitner JCS. (2002). Added risk of Alzheimer’s disease in older women is mitigated with increasing duration of Hormone Replacement Therapy taken 10 or more years before dementia onset. The Cache County Study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288, 2123-2129.

Carlson MC, Tschanz JT, Norton MC, Welsh-Bohmer K, Martin BK, Breitner JC. (2002) H2 histamine receptor blockade in the treatment of Alzheimer disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of nizatidine. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 16:24-30.

Carlson MC, Zandi P, Plassman BL, Tschanz J, Steffens DC, Welsh-Bohmer KA, Bastian L, Mehta K, Breitner JCS. (2001). Hormone replacement therapy and reduced cognitive decline in older women: The Cache County Study. Neurology, 57, 2210-2216.

Carlson MC, Brandt J, Baker A, Steele C, Stern Y, Lyketsos C. (2001). Predictors of mortality in dementia patients upon entry into long-term care. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, 56A, M567-M570.

Carlson MC, Seeman TE, Fried LP. (2000). Importance of generativity on healthy aging in older women. Aging, Clinical and Experimental Research. Special Issue on Women and Aging. 12, 132-40.

Carlson MC, Fried LP, Xue Q, Zeger SL, Brandt J. (1999). Association between executive attention and physical functional performance in community-dwelling older women. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 54B, S262-S270.

Carlson MC, Brandt J, Carson K, Kawas C. (1998). Lack of a relationship between cognitive test performance and race in Alzheimer's disease. Neurology, 5, 1499-1501.

Carlson MC, Hasher L, Connelly SL, Zacks RT. (1995). Aging, distraction, and the benefits of predictable location. Psychology and Aging, 10, 427-436.