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Professor, Phone: 631-444-2599 Location: Stony Brook University, 101 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11794 |
Area of ResearchBrain, gait and cognitive decline in aging and preclinical dementia; social dancing; social connection; social isolation; social networks and support, loneliness; mild cognitive impairment; motoric cognitive risk; Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. |
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Education and Training |
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Education:
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| B.A. Psychology and Thomas Hunter Interdisciplinary Honors Curriculum: Magna Cum Laude |
Hunter College of the City University of New York |
2001 | |
| M.A. Psychology |
Stony Brook University | 2005 | |
| Ph.D. Cognitive/Experimental Psychology | Stony Brook University | 2008 | |
| M.S. (with Distinction) Clinical Research Methods | Albert Einstein College of Medicine | 2018 | |
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Postgraduate Training/Fellowships:
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| T32 NIH/NIA Post-Doctoral Research Fellow: Neuropsychology and Cognition of Aging Training Program |
Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Columbia University Medical Center |
2008-2011 | |
| Neuroimaging Fellow |
Saul R. Korey, Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine | 2011-2013 | |
| Professional Interests: |
The overall goal of my research is to optimize social, cognitive and physical functions in aging and early dementia. I design, analyze, interpret, evaluate, and publish studies examining social connection, cognition, and gait in aging and preclinical dementia, using cognitive, neuropsychological, clinical, epidemiological, and neuroimaging methods. I have an established publication record in the areas of social connection, cognitive and motor aging, and neuroimaging (particularly MRI). Social disconnection (e.g., social isolation and loneliness) is a widespread public health concern – yet a potentially modifiable risk factor of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD). Until recently, we knew very little about the effects of social connection and social disconnection on the brain and cognition in aging and ADRD. We have shown that social networks and support in aging are positively associated with brain volume in widespread networks of brain regions. Interestingly, key regions include the (medial) prefrontal cortex, the amygdala, and the hippocampus – regions that are particularly affected by aging and/or prodromal or early AD. We have also shown that living alone and poor social support are associated with an accelerated rate of cognitive and gait decline, respectively. Finally, we have preliminary evidence for that social dancing may improve cognition and slow the rate of hippocampal atrophy in older adults at increased risk for ADRD. Motoric cognitive risk (MCR) syndrome is a preclinical stage of dementia that is characterized by slow gait and subjective cognitive concern. My research in this area aims to identify the neural substrates and pathologies associated with MCR, as well as examining the relationship between social connection and MCR. So far, we have shown that MCR is associated with widespread cortical atrophy and frontal lacunar strokes. We have also shown that poor social support increases the risk for MCR in aging. I currently direct the neuroimaging component of a multi-cohort, multi-country consortium that examines the biological underpinnings of MCR – including the influence of cerebral small vessel disease and neurodegenerative processes on MCR. The functional brain correlates of gait – particularly gait control – are not well-established because conventional neuroimaging techniques cannot image the brain during movement. My past research in this area includes designing and testing a motor imagery or imagined gait paradigm that can be used to examine the functional neural correlates of gait control as well as using resting-state fMRI to examine the underlying functional networks associated with gait control. My first-authored manuscript based on this research was awarded the Outstanding Junior Research Manuscript Award by the American Geriatrics Society. The key finding described in this paper is that cerebellar, parietal, basal ganglia, and prefrontal regions (particularly supplementary motor regions) are important for gait control in older adults. |
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| Grants: |
Trajectories and modifiable risk factors of brain, gait, and cognitive decline in aging and pre-dementia Social Dancing Intervention for older adults at high risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias: A pilot study Motor Imagery: A Pilot Intervention for Improving Gait and Cognition in the Elderly |
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| Selected Publications: |
Blumen, H. M., Jayakody, O., Ayers, E., Barzilai, N., Habeck, C., Milman, S., Stern, Y., Weiss, E. F., & Verghese, J. (2024). Cognitive reserve proxies are associated with age-related cognitive decline - Not age-related gait speed decline. Neurobiology of aging, 141, 46–54. Pollak, C*., Verghese, J., & Blumen, H.M. (2024). Longitudinal Associations of Social Support and Gait Speed Decline in Aging. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glad250 Blumen, H.M., Jayakody, O. & Verghese, J. (2023). Gait in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, Pre-Dementia and Dementia: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Stroke, doi: 10.1177/17474930221114562 Blumen, H.M., Ayers E, Wang, C., Ambrose A.F., Jayakody & Verghese J. (2023). A Randomized-Controlled Trial of Social Ballroom Dancing and Treadmill-Walking: Preliminary Findings on Executive Function and Neuroplasticity from Dementia-At-Risk Older Adults. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. PMCID: PMC10264554. Jayakody, O*., Breslin, M., Ayers, E., Verghese, J., Barzilai, N., Weiss, E., Milman, S., & Blumen H.M. (2023). Age-Related Changes in Gait Domains: Results from the LonGenity Study. Gait & Posture. PMCID: PMC9974801DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2022.11.00 Jayakody, O*., Breslin, M., Ayers, E., Verghese, J., Barzilai, N., Milman, S., Weiss, E. & Blumen H.M. (2022). Relative Trajectories of Gait and Cognitive Decline in Aging. The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glab346 Felix, N*., Ayers, E., Verghese, J., & Blumen, H. M. (2022). Increased Social Support Reduces the Incidence of Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome. Innovation in Aging. Blumen, H. M., Schwartz, E., Allali, G., Beauchet, O., Callisaya, M., Doi, T., Shimada, H., Srikanth, V., & Verghese, J. (2021). Cortical Thickness, Volume and Surface Area in the Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 8(2), 651-665. PMCID: PMC8768501 Blumen, H.M., Ayers E, Wang, C., Ambrose A.F., Verghese J. (2020). A social dancing pilot intervention for older adults at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Neurodegenerative Disease Management. 10(4), 183-194. PMCID: PMC7426754 Cotton, K*., Verghese, J., & Blumen, H.M. (2020) Gray matter volume covariance networks, social support, and cognition in older adults. The journals of Gerontology: Series B. Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. PMCID: PMC7265803 Blumen, H. M., & Verghese, J. (2018). Gray matter volume covariance networks associated with social networks in older adults. Social neuroscience, 1-12. PMCID: PMC6467743 Blumen, H.M. Holtzer, R., Brown, L.L, Gazes, Y & Verghese, J. (2014). Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Imagined Walking and Walking-While-Talking in the Elderly. Human Brain Mapping, 35(8), 4090-4104. DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22461** Complete List of Published Work available in SciENcv https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/helena.blumen.1/bibliography/public/ Other Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/helena-blumen-7928205/ In the News https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-dancing-prevent-dementia-11566223731 https://time.com/5872230/how-to-dance-your-way-to-wellness/
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