Faculty
My research focuses on cardiovascular risk factors in relation to cognitive functioning in non-demented individuals. Risk factors I have studied include hypertension, risk for future stroke, plasma homocysteine, ApoE-e4 genotype, diabetes mellitus, left ventricular mass, obesity, central adiposity, and depressed mood. My current interest is in relating pulse wave velocity (a measure of arterial stiffness) to cognition and relations between mild renal dysfunction and cognition. My studies, and those of my students, are done in a life-span developmental context and involve cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Much of the data for my work, and the work of my students, comes from our own Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (begun in 1975), the Framingham Heart Study and Framingham Offspring Study. My teaching interests are experimental design, biostatistics and epidemiological approaches to the study of cognitive functioning.
I live on the coast of Maine and enjoy kayaking, stone wall building, woods work, and grand-parenting Jessica, a sable and white collie.
Examples of Recent Publications:
Elias, M.F., Robbins, M.A., Budge, M.M., Elias, P.K., Dore, G.A., Brennan, S.L., Johnston C., & Nagy, Z. (2007) Homocysteine and cognitive performance: Modification by the ApoE genotype. Neuroscience Letters. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2007.10.021
Elias, M. F. & Elias, P. K. (2007).Editorial Comment: Blood pressure and disability: novus orsa. Hypertension, 50, 1006-1008.
Elias, M. F., Sullivan, L. M., Elias, P. K., D'Agostino, R. B., Sr., Wolf, P. A. Seshadri, S., Au, R., Benjamin, E. J., & Vasan, R. S. (2007). Left ventricular mass, blood pressure and lowered cognitive performance in the Framingham Offspring. Hypertension, 49, 439-445.
Elias, M. F., Sullivan, L. M., Elias, P. K., Vasan, R. S., D'Agostino, R. B., Seshadri, S., Au, R., Wolf, P. A., & Benjamin, E. J. (2006). Atrial fibrillation is associated with lower cognitive performance in the Framingham Offspring men. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 15, 214-222.
Elias, M. F., Robbins, M. A., Budge, M. M., Elias, P. K., Brennan, S. L., Johnston, C., Nagy, Z., & Bates, C. J., (2006). Homocysteine, folate, vitamins B6 and B12 blood levels in relation to cognitive performance: The Maine-Syracuse Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68, 547-554.
Elias, M. F., Elias, P. K., Sullivan, L. M., Wolf, P. A., & D'Agostino, R. B. (2005). Obesity, diabetes and cognitive deficit: The Framingham Heart Study. Neurobiology of Aging, 26S: S11-S16.
Robbins, M.A., Elias, M.F., Elias, P.K., & Budge, M.M. (2005). Blood pressure and cognitive function in an African-American and a Caucasian-American sample: The Maine-Syracuse Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67, 707-714.
Robbins, M. A., Elias, M. F., Budge, M. M., Brennan, S. L., & Elias, P. K. (2005). Homocysteine, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cognitive performance: The Maine-Syracuse Study. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 43, 1101-1106.
Elias, M. F., Sullivan, L. M., D'Agostino, R. B., Elias, P. K., Jacques, P. F., Selhub, J., Seshadri, S., Au, R., Beiser, A., & Wolf, P. A. (2005). Homocysteine and cognitive performance in the Framingham Offspring Study: age is important. American Journal of Epidemiology, 162, 1-10.
Elias, P. K., Elias, M. F., D'Agostino, R. B., Sullivan, L. M., & Wolf, P. A. (2005). Serum cholesterol and cognitive performance in the Framingham Heart Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67, 24-30
Seshadri S., Wolf P. A., Beiser A., Elias M. F., White R. F., Au R., Kase C. S., D'Agostino R. B., & DeCarli C. (2004). Stroke risk profile, brain volume and cognitive function: The Framingham Offspring Study. Neurology, 63, 1591-1599.
Elias, P. K., Elias, M. F., Robbins, M. A., & Budge, M. M. (2004). Blood pressure-related cognitive decline: does age make a difference? Hypertension, 44, 631-636.
Au, R., Elias, M. F., Sullivan, L., Elias, P. K., Sehsadri, S., Beiser, A., D'Agostino, R. B., & Wolf, P.A. (2004). New norms for a new generation: Cognitive performance in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Experimental Aging Research, 30,333-358.
Elias, M. F., Sullivan, L. M., D'Agostino, R. B., Elias, P. K., Beiser, A., Au, R., Seshadri. S., DeCarli, C., & Wolf, P. A. (2004). The Framingham stroke risk profile and lowered cognitive performance. Stroke, 35, 404-409.
Elias, M. F., Robbins, M. A., Budge, M. M., Elias, P. K., Hermann, B. A., & Dore, G. A. (2004). Studies of aging, hypertension and cognitive functioning: With contributions from the Maine-Syracuse Study. In M. P. Mattson (Series Ed.), & P. T. Costa & I. C. Siegler (Vol. Eds.), Advances in cell aging and gerontology, V.14 Recent advances in psychology and aging (pp. 89-131). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Elias, M. F., Elias, P. K., Sullivan, L. M., Wolf, P. A., & D'Agostino, R. B. (2003). Lower cognitive function in the presence of obesity and hypertension: The Framingham Heart Study. International Journal of Obesity, 27, 260-268.
Elias, M. F., Beiser, A., Wolf, P. A., Au, R., White, R. F., & D'Agostino, R. B. (2000). The preclinical phase of Alzheimer's disease: A 22-year prospective study of the Framingham cohort. Archives of Neurology, 57, 808-813.
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