Contact Information

Biography

Education

1988-1995
University of Michigan, Integrated Premedical/Medical Inteflex Program

1988-1992
BS, Biomedical Sciences
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

1991-1995
MD, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

2002-2005
MS, Population Health Sciences
UW Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Residency

1995-1998
Intern and Resident
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics/ William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI

1998-1999
Chief Medical Resident
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics/
William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI

Fellowships

1999-2000
Fellow, Geriatric Medicine
Section of Geriatrics and Gerontology, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics/ William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI

2000-2002
Fellow, Older Women's Health
University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics/ William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI

Board Certification

American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), 1998
ABIM, Certification in the Added Qualifications of Geriatric Medicine, 2001

Research Interests

Dr. Carlsson’s research focuses on the effects of vascular risk factors and their treatments on cognition and biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease in persons at risk for dementia.  Vascular risk factors in midlife, such as high cholesterol and elevated blood pressure, have been associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease decades later.  It is unknown, however, whether treating vascular risk factors will reduce the risk of dementia.  Through partnering with colleagues in geriatrics, neuropsychology, cardiovascular medicine, neuroradiology, medical physics, and clinical chemistry, as well as asymptomatic adult children of persons with Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Carlsson is conducting clinical trials investigating:

-The impact of vascular risk factors on risk of cognitive decline in middle-aged adult children of persons with Alzheimer’s disease

-How vascular risk factors are related to biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease found in the blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and on MRI scans measuring brain blood flow

-The relationship between endothelial function, a measure of blood vessel function, and brain blood flow and activation patterns on MRI

-The effects of cholesterol-lowering medications known as “statins” on CSF biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, brain blood flow and activation patterns, and cognition in asymptomatic middle-aged adult children of persons with Alzheimer’s disease

Dr. Carlsson’s work is supported by a Paul B. Beeson Career Development Award, a grant jointly sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), the John A. Hartford Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, and the Starr Foundation.  In addition, she has received support from the State of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin General Clinical Research Center.
Through their work, Dr. Carlsson and her colleagues hope to identify preclinical markers of Alzheimer’s disease risk as well as effective treatment strategies to delay the onset of dementia in persons at risk for the disease.

Link to information on current studies.

Search for Cynthia Carlsson's literature abstracts on PubMed

Work Related Links

Associated Staff