Pauline Maki, PhD

Senior Director of Research
UIC Center for Research on Women & Gender
Contact: [email protected]

Dr. Pauline M. Maki, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  In this role, she also serves as Director of Women’s Mental Health Research, Senior Director of Research of the Center for Research on Women and Gender, and Program Director of the K12 BIRCWH program (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health). Dr. Maki received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 1994, and completed postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1994-1996), and at the National Institute of Aging, through the NIA National Research Council Fellowship (1996-1999).  Following this training, Dr. Maki was a tenure-track investigator in the NIA Laboratory of Personality and Cognition, until she joined the UIC faculty in 2002.  She has a longstanding interest in the effects of sex hormones and phytoestrogens on cognition, brain function, and psychological well-being in young, midlife and elderly women. For the past 20 years, she has led a program of NIH-funded research on the role of sex steroid hormones on cognition, mood, brain function, and stress responsibility.


PUBLICATIONS

Recent Peer-Reviewed Data-Based Journal Articles

  1. Greendale GA, Karlamangla AS, Maki PM. The Menopause Transition and Cognition.
    JAMA. 2020 Mar 12. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.1757. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32163094.
  2. Maki PM, Wu M, Rubin LH, Fornelli D, Drogos LL, Geller S, Shulman LP, Banuvar S, Little DM, Conant RJ. Hot flashes are associated with altered brain function during a memory task. Menopause. 2020 Mar;27(3):269-277. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001467. PubMed PMID: 31913227.
  3. Thurston RC, Wu M, Aizenstein HJ, Chang Y, Mitchell EB, Derby CA, Maki PM. Sleep Characteristics and White Matter Hyperintensities Among Midlife Women. Sleep. 2019 Dec 21. pii: zsz298. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsz298. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31863110.
  4. Rubin LH, Neigh GN, Sundermann EE, Xu Y, Scully EP, Maki PM. Sex Differences in Neurocognitive Function in Adults with HIV: Patterns, Predictors, and Mechanisms. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2019 Sep 14;21(10):94. doi: 10.1007/s11920-019-1089-x. Review. PubMed PMID: 31522330.
  5. Rubin LH, Maki PM. Neurocognitive Complications of HIV Infection in Women: Insights from the WIHS Cohort. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2019 Aug 9. doi: 10.1007/7854_2019_101. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31396894.
  6. Rubin LH, Springer G, Martin EM, Seaberg EC, Sacktor NC, Levine A, Valcour VG, Young MA, Becker JT, Maki PM. Elevated Depressive Symptoms Are a Stronger Predictor of Executive Dysfunction in HIV-Infected Women Than in Men. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2019 Jul 1;81(3):274-283. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000002029. PubMed PMID: 30893126.
  7. Maki PM, Girard LM, Manson JE. Menopausal hormone therapy and cognition. BMJ. 2019 Mar 6;364:l877. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l877. PubMed PMID: 30842090.
  8. Maki PM. The Menopausal Brain. Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Dec;132(6):1323-1324. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002988. PubMed PMID: 30399113.
  9. Maki PM, Kornstein SG, Joffe H, Bromberger JT, Freeman EW, Athappilly G, Bobo WV, Rubin LH, Koleva HK, Cohen LS, Soares CN. Guidelines for the Evaluation and Treatment of Perimenopausal Depression: Summary and Recommendations. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2019 Feb;28(2):117-134. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2018.27099.mensocrec. Epub 2018 Sep 5. PubMed PMID: 30182804.
  10. Sundermann EE, Tran M, Maki PM, Bondi MW. Sex differences in the association between apolipoprotein E ε4 allele and Alzheimer’s disease markers. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2018 Jul 7;10:438-447. doi: 10.1016/j.dadm.2018.06.004. eCollection 2018. PubMed PMID: 30182053; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6120724.
  11. Maki PM, Kornstein SG, Joffe H, Bromberger JT, Freeman EW, Athappilly G, Bobo WV, Rubin LH, Koleva HK, Cohen LS, Soares CN; Board of Trustees for The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and the Women and Mood Disorders Task Force of the National Network of Depression Centers. Guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of perimenopausal depression: summary and recommendations. Menopause. 2018 Oct;25(10):1069-1085. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001174. PubMed PMID: 30179986.
  12. Maki PM. Subjective versus objective measurement of hot flushes: Implications for menopause research. Maturitas. 2019 Feb;120:90-91. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.07.004. Epub 2018 Jul 23. PubMed PMID: 30086991.
  13. Rubin LH, Phan KL, Keating SM, Maki PM. A single low dose of hydrocortisone enhances cognitive functioning in HIV-infected women. AIDS. 2018 Sep 10;32(14):1983-1993. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000001930. PubMed PMID: 29912061; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6115286.
  14. Nebel RA, Aggarwal NT, Barnes LL, Gallagher A, Goldstein JM, Kantarci K, Mallampalli MP, Mormino EC, Scott L, Yu WH, Maki PM, Mielke MM. Understanding the impact of sex and gender in Alzheimer’s disease: A call to action. Alzheimers Dement. 2018 Sep;14(9):1171-1183. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2018.04.008. Epub 2018 JunReview. PubMed PMID: 29907423; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6400070.
  15. 15: Maki PM, Rubin LH, Springer G, Seaberg EC, Sacktor N, Miller EN, Valcour V, Young MA, Becker JT, Martin EM; Neuropsychology Working Groups of the Womenʼs Interagency HIV Study and the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Differences in Cognitive Function Between Women and Men With HIV. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2018 Sep 1;79(1):101-107. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000001764. PubMed PMID: 29847476; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6092201.
  16. Rubin LH, Cook JA, Springer G, Weber KM, Cohen MH, Martin EM, Valcour VG, Benning L, Alden C, Milam J, Anastos K, Young MA, Gustafson DR, Sundermann EE, Maki PM. Perceived and post-traumatic stress are associated with decreased learning, memory, and fluency in HIV-infected women. AIDS. 2017 Nov;31(17):2393-1401. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000001625. Epub 2017 Aug 28. PubMed PMID: 28857823; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5831482.
  17. Maki PM, Rubin LH, Springer G, Seaberg EC, Sacktor N, Miller EN, Valcour V, Young MA, Becker JT, Martin EM. Differences in cognitive function between women and men with HIV. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2018 Sep 1; 79(1): 101-107. PMID: 29847476; PMC6092201
  18. Sundermann EE, Biegon A, Rubin LH, Lipton RB, Landau S & Maki PM for ADNI. Does the female advantage in verbal memory contribute to underestimating Alzheimer’s disease pathology in women versus men? Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2017 Jan 1;56(3):947-57. PMID: 28106548
  19. Rubin LH, Wu M, Sundermann EE, Meyer VJ, Smith R, Weber KM, Cohen MH, Little DM, Maki PM. Elevated stress is associated with prefrontal cortex dysfunction during a verbal memory task in women with HIV. Journal of Neurovirology. 2016 Dec 1;22(6):840-51. PMID: 27094924; PMC5071112
  20. Sundermann EE, Maki PM, Rubin LH, Lipton RB, Landau S, Mowrey W, Biegon A. Female advantage in verbal memory: Evidence of sex-specific cognitive reserve. Neurology. 2016 Nov; 87(18):1916-1924. PMC5100712
  21. Maki PM, Rubin LH, Savarese A, Drogos L., Shulman LP, Banuvar S, Walega DR Stellate ganglion blockade and verbal memory in midlife women: Evidence from a randomized trial. Maturitas. 2016 Oct; 92: 123-9. PMID: 27621249; PMC5147742.
  22. Rubin LH, Pyra M, Cook JA, Weber KM, Cohen MH, Martin E, Valcour V, Milam J, Anastos K, Young MA, Alden C, Gustafson DR, Maki PM. Post-traumatic stress is associated with verbal learning, memory, and psychomotor speed in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women. J Neurovirol. 2016 Apr;22(2):159-69. PMID: 26404435; PMC4783199
  23. Sundermann EE, Biegon A, Rubin LH, Lipton RB, Landau S & Maki PM for ADNI. Better verbal memory in women than men in MCI despite similar levels of hippocampal atrophy. Neurology. 2016 Apr ;86(15):1368-76. PMC4831033
  24. Thurston RC, Aizenstein HJ, Derby CA, Sejdić E, Maki PM. Menopausal hot flashes and white matter hyperintensities. Menopause (New York, NY). 2016 Jan;23(1):27. PMID: 26057822; PMC4673042
  25. Walega DR, Rubin LH, Banuvar S, Shulman LP, Maki PM. Effects of stellate ganglion block on vasomotor symptoms: findings from a randomized, controlled clinical trial in postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2014 Aug;21(8):807-14. PMID: 24496086; PMC4110158.
  26. Maki PM, Dennerstein L, Clark M, Guthrie J, LaMontagne P, Fornelli D, Little DM, Henderson VW, Resnick SM. Perimenopausal use of hormone therapy is associated with enhanced memory and hippocampal function later in life. Brain Res. 2011 Mar 16;1378:232-43. PMC3046212.
  27. Maki PM, Cohen MH, Weber K, Little DM, Fornelli D, Rubin LH, Peschler P, Gould F, Martin E. Impairments in memory and hippocampal function in HIV-positive vs HIV-negative women: a preliminary study. Neurology. 2009 May 12;72(19):1661-8. PMID: 19433739; PMC2683643
  28. Maki PM, Drogos LL, Rubin LH, Banuvar S, Shulman LP, Geller SE. Objective hot flashes are negatively related to verbal memory performance in midlife women. Menopause. 2008 Sep-Oct;15(5):848-56. PMC2783198.
  29. Maki PM, Gast MJ, Vieweg AJ, Burriss SW, Yaffe K. Hormone therapy in menopausal women with cognitive complaints: a randomized, double-blind trial. Neurology. 2007 Sep 25;69(13):1322-30. PMID: 17893293.
  30. Maki PM, Zonderman AB, Resnick SM. Enhanced verbal memory in nondemented elderly women receiving hormone-replacement therapy. Am J Psychiatry. 2001 Feb;158(2):227-33. PMID: 11156805
  31. Maki PM, Resnick SM. Longitudinal effects of estrogen replacement therapy on PET cerebral blood flow and cognition. Neurobiol Aging. 2000 Mar-Apr;21(2):373-83. PMID: 10867223


Recent Peer-Reviewed Review Articles, Commentaries and Theoretical Papers

  1. Maki PM, Girard LM, Manson JE. Menopausal hormone therapy and cognition. BMJ 2019;364:l877 PMID: 30842090.
  2. Maki PM, Kornstein SG, Joffe H, Bromberger JT, Freeman EW, Athappilly G, Bobo WV, Rubin LH, Koleva HK, Cohen LS, Soares CN; Board of Trustees for The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and the Women and Mood Disorders Task Force of the National Network of Depression Centers. Guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of perimenopausal depression: summary and recommendations. Menopause. 2018 Oct; 25(10): 1069-1085. PMID: 30179986.
  3. Maki PM, Freeman EW, Greendale GA, Henderson VW, Newhouse PA, Schmidt PJ, Scott NF, Shively CA, Soares CN. Summary of the NIA-sponsored conference on depressive symptoms and cognitive complaints in the menopausal transition. Menopause. 2010 Jul;17(4):815-22. PMCID: PMC2901893.
  4. Harlow SD, Gass M, Hall JE, Lobo R, Maki P, Rebar RW, Sherman S, Sluss PM, de Villiers TJ, STRAW+ 10 Collaborative Group. Executive summary of the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop+ 10: addressing the unfinished agenda of staging reproductive aging. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2012 Apr 1;97(4):1159-68. PMID: 22344196 PMCID: PMC3319184.


Ongoing Research Support

1 RF1 AG053504
Thurston/Maki (MultiPI)     08/15/16-06/30/21  (NIH – NIA)
Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms and Brain Aging in Women This multi-year R01 equivalent grant examines the relationship between vasomotor symptoms, the cardinal symptom of menopause, and structural and functional integrity of the brain and cognitive function.

1 RF1 AG053504 Supplement
Thurston/Maki (Multi-PI)     08/01/19-07/31/20  (NIH – NIA)
Supplement to Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms and Brain Aging in Women This supplement to the parent RF1 examining female-specific midlife risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will add state-of-the-art 7T protocols of direct small vein and artery neuroimaging.  Cerebrovascular health plays a critical role in the development of AD; this supplement will test the relation of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) to state-of-the-art assessed small vessel integrity in a well-characterized cohort of midlife women.

1 R01 AG049924
Walega (PI)     08/01/16-03/31/22  (NIH – NIA)
Stellate Ganglion Blockade for the Management of Vasomotor Symptoms This grant supports a randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial of stellate ganglion blockade on vasomotor symptoms in midlife women. Secondary outcomes include cognition, mood, brain imaging outcomes, and autonomic nervous system activity.
Role: Co-Investigator

Illinois Department of Public Health
Maki/Geller (Multi-PI)     04/01/19-03/31/21
Illinois Screening and Treatment for Maternal Depression and Related Behavioral Conditions The UIC Center for Research on Women and Gender, the Illinois Department of Public Health Office of Women’s Health and Family Services and Illinois DocAssist are implementing a program to expand the capacity of health care providers in Illinois to screen, assess, refer and treat pregnant and postpartum women for depression and related behavioral health disorders.

1U01HL146242-01
Tien/Aouizerat (Multi-PI)     04/01/19-12/31/25 (NIH)
San Francisco Bay Area MACS-WIHS Combined Cohort Study The Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) is a multi-site prospective epidemiology cohort study of women who either are infected with HIV or are at increased risk for acquiring HIV infection. The Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) is a multi-site prospective study of men who are infected with HIV.

1 R01MH119947
Rubin/Maki (Multi-PI)     07/24/19-05/31/24 (NIH – NIMH)
Neural mechanisms of HIV-associated CNS dysfunction despite viral suppressionThis longitudinal, multimodal neuroimaging study uses structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) assessments, as well as positron emission tomography assessments of neuroinflammation to identify the key mechanistic pathways contributing to cognitive impairment among HIV-seropositive, virally suppressed individuals.

R01 MH113512
Rubin (PI)     09/15/17-07/31/23  (NIH – NIMH)
Effects of Glucocorticoids on Cognitive Functioning in HIV-infected Women This project examines the effects of low-dose hydrocortisone (LDH) on cognition in HIV+ women with the goal to identify and assess an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction in HIV+ women.
Role: Co-I

1 R03 HD095056-01
Maki/Gilbert (Multi-PI)     08/20/18-07/31/20 (NIH – NICHD)

Human Microbiome and Perinatal Depression Our goals is to determine the feasibility of a longitudinal study to monitor the changes in the microbiome associated with perinatal depression in a diverse sample of low-income minority women. We also examine differences in gut microbiota in pregnant women with MDD and pregnant women without MDD.

UL1TR002003
Maki (PI) of Pilot Award     11/16/18-11/15/20 (NIH – NCATS)

UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) pilot award Implementation of an Evidence-Based E-Health Intervention for Perinatal Depression The major goals of this project are to implement a validated computerized adaptive testing (CAT) to assess perinatal mental health into routine clinical care, as well as testing the feasibility and acceptability of an online intervention (Sunnyside for Moms) to prevent and treat perinatal depression.