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Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications
Maury AA*, Holton KF. Biomarkers Associated with Depression Improvement in Veterans with Gulf War Illness using the Low Glutamate Diet. Nutrients. 2024. 16: 2255. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16142255
Carr S*, Holton KF. A Cautious Reminder about the Potential Risk of Psychosis when Cannabis Is Used as a Treatment for Chronic Pain. Psychiatry Research Case Reports. 2024. 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psycr.2024.100225
Martami F, Holton KF. Targeting Glutamate Neurotoxicity through Dietary Manipulation: Potential Treatment for Migraine. Nutrients. 2023; 15(18): 3952. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15183952
Goyette MJ*, Murray SL, Saldanha CJ, Holton KF. Sex Hormones, Neurosteroids, and Glutamatergic Neurotransmission: A Review of the Literature. Neuroendocrinology. May 2023; 113(9):905-914. https://doi.org/10.1159/000531148
* denotes lab member author.
More Peer Reviewed Publications
Sarlo GL*, Kao A, Holton KF. Investigation of The Low Glutamate Diet as an Adjunct Treatment for Pediatric Epilepsy: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy. 2023 Mar; 106:138-147. EPub Feb 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seizure.2023.02.013
Fiebel P*, Ramachandra SS*, Holton KF. The Low Glutamate Diet reduces blood pressure after one month in veterans with Gulf War Illness: A CONSORT Randomized Clinical Trial. Medicine. 2023 Jan 27;102(4):e32726. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000032726
Murray SL*, Holton KF. Effects of a Diet Low in Excitotoxins on PTSD Symptoms and Related Biomarkers. Nutritional Neuroscience. 2022 Dec 9:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415x.2022.2152932
Langan MT*, Kirkland AE*, Rice LC*, Mucciarone VC, Baraniuk J, VanMeter A, Holton KF. Low glutamate diet improves working memory and contributes to altering BOLD response and functional connectivity within working memory networks in Gulf War Illness. Scientific Reports. 2022 Oct; 12:18004. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21837-6
Brandley ET*, Kirkland AE, Baron M, Baraniuk JN, Holton KF. The Effect of the Low Glutamate Diet on the Reduction of Psychiatric Symptoms in Veterans with Gulf War Illness: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2022 Jun;13:926688. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.926688
Brandley ET*, Kirkland AE, Baron M, Baraniuk JN, Holton KF. The Effect of the Low Glutamate Diet on the Reduction of Psychiatric Symptoms in Veterans with Gulf War Illness: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2022 May.
Kirkland AE*, Langan MT, Holton KF. Artificial Food Coloring Affects EEG Power and ADHD Symptoms in College Students with ADHD: A Pilot Study. Nutritional Neuroscience. 2022 Jan; 25(1): 159-168. Epub Mar 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2020.1730614
Sarlo GL*, Holton KF. Caregiver Perspectives on Dietary Therapies for Epilepsy. Epilepsy Research. 178. Nov 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2021.106803
Holton KF. Micronutrients May Be a Unique Weapon Against the Neurotoxic Triad of Excitotoxicity, Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation: A Perspective. Frontiers in Neuroscience, section Neuroenergetics, Nutrition and Brain Health. 2021 Sep;15:726457. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.726457
Holton KF, Ramachandra SS*, Baraniuk JN. Effect of the Low Glutamate Diet on Inflammatory Cytokines in Veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI). Life Sciences. Sep 2021;280. DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119637
Murray SL*, Holton KF. Post-traumatic stress disorder may set the neurobiological stage for eating disorders: A focus on glutamatergic dysfunction. Appetite. 167. 2021 Dec 1;167:105599. Epub July 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105599
Kirkland AE*, Baron ML, VanMeter JW, Baraniuk JN, Holton KF. The Low Glutamate Diet Improves Cognitive Functioning in Veterans with Gulf War Illness and Resting-State EEG Potentially Predicts Response. Nutritional Neuroscience. 2021 Jul;1-12. DOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2021.1954292
Sarlo GL*, Holton KF. Brain concentrations of glutamate in human epilepsy: A review. Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy. 2021 Oct;91:213-227. Epub Jun 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seizure.2021.06.028
Sarlo GL*, Kao A, Holton KF. Optimization of data collection in Dietary Therapy Clinics for Epilepsy. Epilepsy Research. Oct 2020. 168:106488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2020.106488
Holton KF, Kirkland AE, Baron M, Ramachandra SS, Langan MT, Brandley ET, Baraniuk JN. The low glutamate diet effectively improves pain and other symptoms of Gulf War Illness. Nutrients. 2020.12(9):2593.
Fifi AC and Holton KF. Food in Chronic Pain: Friend or Foe? Nutrients. 2020.12(8):2473.
Joyce M, Holton KF. Neurotoxicity in Gulf War Illness and the Potential Role of Glutamate. Neurotoxicology. 80:60-70.
Kirkland AE, Holton KF. Artificial Food Coloring Affects EEG Power and ADHD Symptoms in College Students with ADHD: A Pilot Study. Nutritional Neuroscience.
Brandley, ET, & Holton, KF. Breakfast positively impacts cognitive function in college students with and without ADHD. American Journal of Health Promotion. In Press Jan 2020.
Holton KF, Kirkland AE. Moving past antioxidant supplementation for dietary treatment of multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis Journal. In Press.
Holton KF, Hargrave S, Davidson TL. Differential Effects of Dietary MSG on Hippocampal Dependent Memory Are Mediated by Diet. Front Neurosci. Sept 2019.
Kirkland AE, Holton KF. Measuring treatment response in pharmacological and lifestyle interventions using electroencephalography (EEG) in ADHD: A review. Clinical EEG and Neuroscience. 2019 Jan.
Kirkland AE, Sarlo GL, Holton KF. The Role of Magnesium in Neurological Disorders.Nutrients 2018 Jun; 10(6):730.
Holton KF, Ndege PK, Clauw DJ. Dietary correlates of widespread chronic pain in Meru, Kenya. Nutrition. 2018 Feb; 53:14-19.
Holton KF, Cotter EW. Could dietary glutamate be contributing to symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? Future Science OA. 2018 Jan; 4(3):FSO277.
Holton KF, Johnstone JM, Brandley ET, Nigg JT. Evaluation of Dietary Intake in Children and College Students with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Nutr Neuroscience. 2018 Jan; 23:1-14.
Selected Presentations
Poster presentation titled “Pain Reduction from the Low Glutamate Diet Is Associated with Reduced High Gamma Power from EEG” presented at the International Association on the Study of Pain in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Aug 5-9, 2024.
Poster presentation (student) titled “Therapeutic effects of the Low Glutamate Diet on PTSD are Mediated by Reductions in Oxidative Stress” presented at the American Society for Nutrition conference in Chicago, IL, June 28-Jul 2, 2024.
Poster presentation (student) titled “The Low Glutamate Diet Improves Headache and Other Symptoms in Veterans with Gulf War Illness” presented at the American Society for Nutrition conference in Chicago, IL, June 28-Jul 2, 2024.
Poster presentation (student) titled “The Low Glutamate Diet Improves Sleep and Cognition in Veterans with Gulf War Illness” presented at the American Society for Nutrition conference in Chicago, IL, June 28-Jul 2, 2024.
More Presentations
Invited speaker at the Food is Medicine symposium at Georgetown University on May 9-10, 2024. Presentation titled, “Negative Effects of Food Additives on Neurological Function.”
Invited guest lecture on “The Role of Magnesium on Neurological Function” at Pennsylvania State University, April 16, 2024.
Invited plenary speaker at the Headache Cooperative of the Pacific conference. Presentation titled, “The Role of Food and the Gut-Brain Axis on Pain” given in Ojai, California Jan 26-27, 2024.
Invited presentation on GWI illness research titled, “Dietary Treatment of Chronic Widespread Pain” at the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) at the VA on Aug 10, 2023.
Poster presentation (student) on “Glutamate Detection in Food Products using LC-MS, FS/CV, and Fluorometric Detection” at the 5th International Conference on Food Science and Technology in London, UK, Aug 9-10, 2023.
Oral presentation (student) on “Biomarkers of Depression Improvement using the Low Glutamate Diet in Gulf War Illness” at the American Society for Nutrition, Nutritional Neuroscience: Nutrition and the Brain section, in Boston, MA, July 22-25, 2023.
Poster presentation (student) on “Low glutamate diet in Gulf War Illness reduces cortical thickness and headache symptoms” at the Organization for Human Brain Mapping conference in Montreal, Canada, July 22-26, 2023.
Invited plenary speaker at the 13th Annual Pain Care Skills Training organized by the National Capital Regional Pain Initiative at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, MD titled, “The Relationship Between Food and Pain Perception” on July 19, 2023.
Invited Speaker at the Center for Neuroscience and Behavior Annual Retreat at American University titled, “Modulating Neurological Function with the Low Glutamate Diet” on May 15, 2023.
Invited speaker to the NOVA Campfire: The Future of Food hosted by the NOVA Institute for Health, titled, “Effects of Flavor Enhancers and Artificial Sweeteners (Excitotoxins) on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Children and Adults” on March 23, 2023.
Symposium presentation on “Nutrition for Mental Health” at the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research in Cairns, Australia, March 13-16, 2023.
Poster presentation (student) on “Effects of the Low Glutamate Diet on Brain Wave Activity Relevant to Psychiatric Illness” at the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research in Cairns, Australia, March 13-16, 2023.
Poster presentation (student) on “Biomarker Changes are Associated with Depression Improvement After One Month on The Low Glutamate Diet in Veterans with Gulf War Illness” at the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research in Cairns, Australia, March 13-16, 2023.
Invited online speaker on “The Role of Micronutrient Intake in Mental Health Disorders” at the 26th Annual Nutrition Seminar at Patton State Hospital in California, March 6, 2023.
Poster presentation (student) at the American Epilepsy Society conference in Nashville, TN, Dec 2-6, 2022 titled, “The Effectiveness of The Low Glutamate Diet as an Adjunct Treatment for Pediatric Epilepsy.”
Poster presentation (student) at the online American Society for Nutrition conference June 14-16th, 2022 titled, “Nutrient Intake as a Predictor of Health Improvement on the Low Glutamate Diet in Veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI)”
Poster presentation (student) at the Southeastern Psychological Association conference titled, “The Low Glutamate Diet Improves Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms and Normalizes Cortisol in Veterans with Gulf War Illness” in Hilton Head, SC, Mar 23-26, 2022.
Poster presentation (student) at Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, IL Nov 13-16, 2021, titled, “The low glutamate diet improves working memory performance and alters functional connectivity within pertinent networks in veterans with Gulf War Illness.”
Poster presentation (student) titled, “Caregiver Perspectives on Dietary Therapies for Epilepsy” presented at the 7th Global Symposium on Medical Ketogenic Dietary Therapies in Brighton, UK Oct 19-22, 2021.
Oral presentation to the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness (online) March 10th, 2021, titled “The Low Glutamate Diet as a Treatment for GWI.”
Oral presentation at the GWI State of the Science Conference (online) Aug 18-19th, 2020, titled “The low glutamate diet effectively improves overall symptom load, pain, and fatigue in veterans with GWI.”
Oral and poster presentation (student) at the American Epilepsy Society conference in Baltimore, MD Dec 6-10, 2019 titled, “Optimization of Data Collection for Clinics Specializing in Dietary Therapies for Epilepsy”
Poster presentation (student) at the International Conference on ADHD in Philadelphia, PA Nov. 6-9, 2019 titled, “Artificial Food Coloring Affects Brain Wave Activity in College Students with ADHD”
Oral presentation at the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research in London, England Oct 20-22, 2019 titled, “A Low Glutamate Diet Reduces Anxiety and PTSD Symptoms in Veterans with Gulf War Illness”
Poster presentation (student) at the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research in London, England Oct 20-22, 2019 titled, “The Effects of a Low Glutamate Diet on Depression in Gulf War Veterans”
Symposium presentation at the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research in London, England Oct 20-22, 2019 titled, “Micronutrients for Mental Illness”
Symposium presentation at the International Society for Research on Child Psychopathology in Los Angeles, CA June 26-29, 2019 titled, “Broad Spectrum Micronutrient Treatment for Children with ADHD and Irritable Mood: Why, How, Results, and Future Directions”
Oral and poster presentation (student) at the American Society for Nutrition conference in Baltimore, MD June 8-11, 2019 titled, “The Effects of a Low Glutamate Dietary Intervention on Anxiety and PTSD in Veterans with Gulf War Illness”
Poster presentation (student) at the American Society for Nutrition conference in Baltimore, MD June 8-11, 2019 titled, “The Effects of a Low Glutamate Dietary Intervention on Anxiety and PTSD in Veterans with Gulf War Illness”
Poster presentation (student) at the American Society for Nutrition conference in Baltimore, MD June 8-11, 2019 titled, “Intake of Aspartate and Glycine is Negatively Associated with Cognitive Functioning in College Students”
Poster presentation (student) at the Society for Research on Child Development Biennial Meeting in Austin, TX April 6-8, 2017 titled, “The effects of breakfast on cognitive function in college students with and without ADHD”