Rebecca MacAulay
Associate Professor
362 Williams Hall
207-581-2044
rebecca.macaulay@maine.edu
**Note to applicants: Dr. MacAulay plans to recruit a graduate student to start in Fall 2025.
Research Interests
Broadly, my research focuses on understanding cognitive aging processes. My research aims to: (1) better understand factors that increase risk and resilience to cognitive decline across the adult life span, (2) increase the sensitivity and external validity of assessment techniques used to detect preclinical stages of neurological impairment, and (3) apply this research to future intervention models in order to improve functional outcomes in older adults.
Specific programs of research include:
Investigation of link between motor and cognitive decline
Development of motor-cognitive screener measures to use within primary care settings
Role of attention network functioning in motor and affective disturbances
Understanding the relationship between depression and anxiety with cognitive decline
Development of brief cognitive-behavioral interventions for older adult populations
Selected Publications
MacAulay, R. K., Halpin, A., Cohen, A. S., Boeve, A., Calamia, M., Brouillette, R. M., Foil, H. C., Bruce-Keller, A. J., & Keller, J. N. (2020). Predictors of Heterogeneity in Cognitive Function: Depression, APOE-e4, Cognitive Reserve, and Vascular Risk. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 35(6), 660-670. doi:10.1093/arclin/acaa014
Lowe, D., MacAulay, R. K., Szeles, D., Milano, N.J., & Wagner, M.T. (2020). Dual-Task Gait Assessment in a Clinical Sample: Implications for Improved Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment. The Journal of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences, 75(7), 1372-1381. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbz119
Bernstein, J., De Vito, A., Weitzner, D., MacAulay, R. K., Calamia, M., Brouillette, R. M., Foil, H. C., … & Keller, J. N. (2020). Examining Relationships Between Multiple Self-Report Sleep Measures and Gait Domains in Cognitively Healthy Older Adults. Gerontology, 66, 47-54. doi: 10.1159/000499737
MacAulay, R. K., Edelman, P., Boeve, A., Sprangers, N., & Halpin, A. (2019). Group music training as a multimodal cognitive intervention for older adults. Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, 29(4), 180–187. doi: 10.1037/pmu0000239
MacAulay, R. K., Calamia, M. R., Cohen, A. S., Daigle, K., Foil, H., Brouillette, R., … & Keller, J. N. (2018). Understanding heterogeneity in older adults: Latent growth curve modeling of cognitive functioning. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 40(3), 292-302. doi: 10.1080/13803395.2017.1342772
MacAulay, R. K., Wagner, M. T., Szeles, D., & Milano, N. J. (2017). Improving Sensitivity to Detect Mild Cognitive Impairment: Cognitive load dual-task gait assessment. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (JINS), 23(6), 493-501. doi: 10.1017/S1355617717000261
Wagner, M. T., Mithoerfer, M. C., Mithoefer, A. T., MacAulay, R. K., Jerome, L., Yazar-Klosinski, B., & Doblin, R. (2017). Therapeutic Effect of Increased Openness: Investigating mechanism of action in a MDMA-assisted randomized psychotherapy. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 31, 967-974. doi: 0269881117711712
MacAulay, R. K., Allaire, T., Brouillette, R., Foil, H., Bruce-Keller, A. J., & Keller, J. N. (2016). Apolipoprotein E genotype linked to spatial gait characteristics: predictors of cognitive dual task gait change. PLOS One, 11(8), e0156732. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156732
MacAulay, R. K., Allaire, T., Brouillette, R. M., Foil, H. C., Bruce-Keller, A. J., Han, H., Johnson, W. D. & Keller, J. N. (2015). Longitudinal Assessment of Neuropsychological and Physical Characteristics of Elderly Fallers: Taking it all in stride. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 7, 34. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2015.00034
MacAulay, R. K., Brouillette, R. M., Foil, H. C., Bruce-Keller, A. J., & Keller, J. N. (2014). A longitudinal study on dual-tasking effects on gait: Cognitive change predicts gait variance in the elderly. PLOS One, 9(6), e99436. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099436