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Kathleen F. Holton, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Professor
American University
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Dr. Kathleen Holton is a professor co-appointed in the Departments of Health Studies and Neuroscience at American University in Washington DC. She is a nutritional neuroscientist whose research examines the negative effects of food additives on neurological symptoms, as well as the positive protective effects of certain micronutrients on the brain. The main focus of her research is on glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain which is dysregulated in many neurological conditions (including chronic pain, migraine, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)) and psychiatric conditions (such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and ADHD). Overexcitation in the brain via glutamate can cause excitotoxicity with corresponding neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Dr. Holton’s research focuses on reducing this neurotoxic triad by eliminating exposure to dietary excitotoxins while also increasing intake of key protective micronutrients, using a ‘Food is Medicine’ approach for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric symptoms. She is currently also working to understand the mechanisms behind the effects of the diet she created, using precision nutrition approaches such as metabolomics and microbiome analysis, combined with neuroscience data from EEG, MRI, and PET imaging. Her work informs not only clinical care, but also the ongoing discussion about the health impacts of ultra-processed food, where exposure to food additives may be a driving reason for the adverse health impacts being observed.

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