I am a principal associate in the Integrated Divisions of Cognitive and Motor Aging and Geriatrics. I'm involved in the coordination of many of the ongoing research projects in the division, which include several clinical trials, longitudinal studies and a multi-country consortium to study a gait-based pre-dementia syndrome.

My research interests include study design and data management and harmonization of large datasets for epidemiological studies. My current projects focus on understanding clinical markers and preventative strategies that can delay the onset of common adverse events in aging including mobility disability, frailty, falls and cognitive decline. My most recent publications focus on the examination of a newly described pre-dementia syndrome, Motoric Cognitive Risk syndrome (MCR). MCR is characterized by the presence of cognitive complaints and slow gait, provides a simple and accessible clinical method to assess individuals at risk of converting to dementia. Together with an international group of collaborators, we conducted a global validation study of this syndrome using data from 22 studies including over 26,000 participants. In subsequent studies we have also established MCR as a risk factor for non-cognitive outcomes including mortality and falls.

Sathyan S, Barzilai N, Atzmon G, Milman S, Ayers E, Verghese J. Association of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL10 polymorphisms with motoric cognitive risk syndrome in an Ashkenazi Jewish population. Neurobiol Aging. 2017; [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 28705468

Ayers E, Barzilai N, Crandall J, Milman S, Verghese J. Association of Family History of Exceptional Longevity with Decline in Physical Function in Aging. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 2017; [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 28379407

Verghese J, Lipton R, Ayers E. Spatial navigation and risk of cognitive impairment: prospective cohort study. Alzheimer’s and Dementia. 2017; [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 28264767

Ayers E, Shapiro M, Holtzer R, Barzilai N, Milman S, Verghese J. Symptoms of apathy independently predict incident frailty and disability in community-dwelling older adults. Journal Clinical Psychiatry. 2017; 78(5):e529-e536. PMID: 28406265.

Verghese J, Ayers E. Biology of Falls: Preliminary Cohort Study Suggesting a Possible Role for Oxidative Stress. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2017; [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 28248417.

Verghese J, Ayers E, Mahoney JR, Ambrose A, Wang C, Holtzer R. Cognitive remediation to enhance mobility in older adults: The CREM Study. Neurodegenerative Disease Management. 2016; 6(6):457-466. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5134757.

Verghese J, Wang C, Ayers E, Izzetoglu M, Holtzer R. Brain activation patterns in high functioning older adults and risk of falls: prospective cohort study. Neurology. 2016; 10;88(2):191-197. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5224713.

Allali G, Ayers E, Verghese J, Holtzer R. The role of Postural instability/gait difficulty and Fear of falling in predicting falls in non-demented older adults. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2016;69:15-20. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5186402.

Callisaya ML, Ayers E, Barzilai N, Ferrucci L, Guralnik JM, Lipton RB, Otahal P, Srikanth VK, Verghese J. Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome and Falls Risk: A Multi-Center Study. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2016; 53(3): 1043-52. PMID: 27340851.

Verghese J, Wang C, Allali G, Holtzer R, Ayers E. Modifiable Risk Factors for New-Onset Slow Gait in Older Adults. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2016; 17(5): 421-5. PMID: 26923472.

Ayers E, Verghese J. Motoric cognitive risk syndrome and risk of mortality in older adults. Alzheimer’s and Dementia. 2016; 12(5): 556-64. PMID: 26545790.

Allali G, Ayers E, Verghese J. Motoric cognitive risk syndrome subtypes and cognitive profiles. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 2016; 71(3):378-84. PMID: 26248559.

Allali G, Ayers E, Verghese J. Multiple modes of assessment of gait is better than one to predict incident falls. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2015; 60(3):389-93. PMID: 25772422.

Verghese J, Ayers E, Barzilai N, Bennett D, Buchman A, Holtzer R,  Katz M, Lipton R, Wang C. Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome: Multi-center Incidence Study. Neurology. 2014. 83(24):2278-84. PMID: 25361778.

Ayers E, Barzilai N, Crandall J, Milman S, Verghese J. Association of Exceptional Parental Longevity and Physical Function in Aging. Age (Dordr). 2014; 36(4): 9677. PMID: 24997018.

Verghese J, Annweiler C, Ayers E, Barzilai N, Beauchet O, Bennett D, Bridenbaugh S, Buchman A, Callisaya M, Camicioli R, Capistrant B, Chatterji S, De Cock A, Ferrucci F, Giladi N, Guralnik J, Hausdorff J, Holtzer R, Kim K, Kowal P, Kressig R, Lim J, Lord S, Meguro K, Montero-Odasso M, Muir-Hunter S, Noone M, Rochester L, Srikanth V, and Wang C. Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome: Multi-country Prevalence and Dementia Risk. Neurology. 2014; 83(8):718-26. PMID: 25031288.

Nair V, Ayers E, Noone ML, Johnson B, Verghese J. Depressive symptoms and mild cognitive impairment: Results from the Kerala-Einstein study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2014; 62(1): 197–199. PMCID: PMC4148012.

Ayers E, Tow A, Holtzer R, Verghese J. Walking While Talking and Falls in Aging. Gerontology.2014; 60(2):108-13. PMCID: PMC3944080.