Michael Robbins
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My research interests are to investigate biological, psychological and social correlates
of cognitive aging. Since 1981 my major research activity has involved collaboration
with Merrill F. Elias on the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (MSLS). Beginning at
Syracuse University in 1975 and moving to the University of Maine in 1977, the MSLS
continued uninterrupted for more than 33 years thanks to support from the National
Institute on Aging (NIH) and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NIH). This
community-based study offers students and faculty opportunities for archival data
analysis focusing on relations among newly recognized and traditional risk factors for
cardiovascular disease and cognitive performance across the adult lifespan. Some
examples of variables in the data base are as follows: blood pressure, diabetes, blood
glucose levels, adiposity, depression, anxiety, stroke, cardiovascular disease,
homocysteine, lipids, ApoE e4, arterial stiffness (indexed by pulse wave velocity),
smoking, alcohol consumption, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, folate, functional disability,
activities of daily living, stroke and dementia history. The MSLS offers longitudinal and
cross-sectional data on these risk factors and an extensive battery of
neuropsychological tests. Collaborators have included faculty at the University of Maine,
Boston University, the University of Virginia, the University of Southern California,
Oxford University (UK), the University or Birmingham (UK) and Australian National
University.
Areas of Expertise
Vascular Disease and Cognition
Education
1969 Colgate University, BA
