Dr. Kathleen Holton is a nutritional neuroscientist in AU's School of Education, Teaching and Health. Her research examines the negative effects of dietary excitotoxins on neurological symptoms, as well as the positive protective effects of certain micronutrients on the brain. Q: Could you explain what it means to be a nutritional neuroscientist? A: A nutritional neuroscientist is a person who studies the effect of specific dietary components on the function of the nervous system. I am personally interested in understanding how specific food additive exposures impact neurological functioning, and how micronutrients protect against the toxicity induced by these additives. Q: Why is your research important? What are the possible real world applications? A: I am one of only a handful of researchers who are working in the area of nutritional neuroscience. I conduct clinical trials to evaluate how removal of certain food additives, along with improving nutrient intake in the diet, can directly treat neurological conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Gulf War Illness. These orphan illnesses present with a multitude of neurological symptoms including chronic pain, centrally mediated fatigue, disordered sleep, depression/anxiety, headache/migraine, cognitive dysfunction, and attentional issues. These individuals are suffering greatly and Western medicine has not yet provided a strong treatment option. I am having great success at reducing the neurological symptoms in these disorders solely with dietary change. If these research findings continue in this same light, then dietary intervention may end up being an effective low-cost treatment option for these individuals.
Q: What’s the number one most exciting thing that has happened with your research, whether in terms of findings or recognition, that has happened recently? A: I am currently running a clinical trial in Gulf War Illness and am seeing very promising results. Hands down, the most exciting thing that happens to me each week, is seeing subjects get better from this dietary improvement. It reinforces why I am here doing this research. Q: What’s next? What will you be exploring or would like to explore? A: The main compound I study is a neurotransmitter called glutamate, which also happens to be used as a flavor enhancer (under many food additive names) in food. Abnormal glutamatergic neurotransmission has been implicated in many neurological and psychiatric disorders, including migraine and epilepsy. I see strong consistent results with migraine in my subjects, but to date, have not yet been able to evaluate whether or not I can modulate seizures with the diet I created. This Fall we will be starting a collaboration with neurologists at Children’s Hospital to run a pilot study to test the effects of this dietary treatment on children with epilepsy. This is a very exciting new research direction.
