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About the speaker

Dr. Kathleen Holton is a provost associate 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). Over excitation 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 and MRI. 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.

Disclosure Statements

Sheppard Pratt holds the standard that its continuing medical education programs should be free of commercial bias and conflict of interest. In accord with Sheppard Pratt's Disclosure Policy, as well as standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the American Medical Association (AMA), all planners, reviewers, speakers and persons in control of content have been asked to disclose any relationship he /she has with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 24 months. All planners, reviewers and speakers have also been asked to disclose any payments accepted for this lecture from any entity besides Sheppard Pratt, and if there will be discussion of any products, services, or off-label uses of product(s) during this presentation.

Kathleen Holton, PhD, MPH reports that she has no relationships with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 24 months. She will not discuss any products, services, or off-label uses in this presentation. All relationships have been mitigated through review.

Event Planners/Reviewers Disclosures: The following event planners and/or reviewers are reported as having no financial interest, arrangement or affiliation with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 24 months: Todd Peters, MD, Elizabeth Ryznar, MD, MSc, Louis Marino, MD, Devi Bhuyan, PsyD, Faith Dickerson, PhD, Carrie Etheridge, LCSW-C, Tom Flis, LCPC, Alfredo Sagisi, DNP, MS, RN, FACHE, , Stephanie M. Robinson, MSN, RN, PMH-BC, NPD-BC, NE-BC, Lisa E. Seldon, DNP, MSA, RN, NEA-BC, Lisa Illum, MLIS, MEd, and Jennifer Tornabene.