Rebecca Solch-Ottaiano, PhD
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise
Biography
ACADEMIC TRAINING
• Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition: University of Florida, Gainesville, Fl (2016)
• Doctor of Philosophy in Nutritional Sciences: University of Florida, Gainesville, Fl (2020)
o Minor in Agricultural Education
• Postdoctoral Fellowship: Laboratory of Dr. Maraganore, Clinical Neuroscience Research Center, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA (2020-2023)
FACULTY APPOINTMENTS
• Research Instructor: Department of Neurology, Clinical Neuroscience Research Center, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA (2023-2024)
• Research Instructor: Department of Pharmacology, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA (2024-2024)
• Assistant Professor: Department of Pharmacology, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA (2024-2024)
Research
Dr. Rebecca “Becca” Solch-Ottaiano is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Tulane University School of Medicine. She is also the Director of the Clinical Neuroscience Research Center Rodent Behavior Core. Dr. Solch-Ottaiano obtained her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Florida where her dissertation focused on evaluating probiotics on stress-associated gastrointestinal and immune function in undergraduate university students where she co-authored on publications regarding probiotics and fiber on gastrointestinal function and gut microbial composition in healthy adults. During her postdoctoral fellowship in the Maraganore Lab, she continued to explore the gut-brain relationship with a particular focus on Mediterranean and Western diets. Now as an Assistant Professor, Dr. Solch-Ottaiano is continuing to explore the complex relationship of diet, gut microbiota, and cognitive performance across the lifespan in translational models with an emphasis on gut-microbiota-mediated mechanisms.
Contributions
Solch-Ottaiano RJ, Engler-Chiurazzi EB, Harper C, Wasson S, Ogbonna S, Ouvrier B, Wang H, Prats M, McDonald K, Biose IJ, Rowe LA, Jones M, Steele C, Bix G, Maraganore DM. Comparison Between Two Divergent Diets, Mediterranean and Western, on Gut Microbiota and Cognitive Function in Young Sprague Dawley Rats. Gut Microbes Rep. 2024;1(1):1-21. doi: 10.1080/29933935.2024.2439490. Epub 2024 Dec 18. PubMed PMID: 39916748; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11800364.
Reyes Z, Stovall MC, Punyamurthula S, Longo M, Maraganore D, Solch-Ottaiano RJ. The impact of gut microbiome and diet on post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. J Neurol Sci. 2024 Dec 15;467:123295. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2024.123295. Epub 2024 Nov 10. Review. PubMed PMID: 39550783.Judkins TC, Archer DL, Kramer DC, Solch RJ: Probiotics, Nutrition, and the Small Intestine. Current Gastroenterology Reports 2020, 22:2.
Biose IJ, Chastain WH, Solch-Ottaiano RJ, Grayson VS, Wang H, Banerjee S, Bix GJ. The Effects of Physical Activity on Experimental Models of Vascular Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ann Neurosci. 2024 Jul;31(3):204-224. doi: 10.1177/09727531231192759. Epub 2024 Jan 10. Review. PubMed PMID: 39156626; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11325693.
Solch-Ottaiano R, Judkins T, Matott S, McDermott C, Nieves C, Wang Y, Colee J, Tagliamonte M, Dissanayake U, Mai V, Percival S, Langkamp-Henken B. High polyphenolic cranberry beverage alters specific fecal microbiota but not gut permeability following aspirin challenge in healthy obese adults: A randomized, double-blind, crossover trial. Journal of Functional Foods. 2022/12; 99:105332.
Judkins TC, Solch-Ottaiano RJ, Ceretto-Clark B, Nieves C Jr, Colee J, Wang Y, Tompkins TA, Caballero-Calero SE, Langkamp-Henken B. The effect of an acute aspirin challenge on intestinal permeability in healthy adults with and without prophylactic probiotic consumption: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. BMC Gastroenterol. 2024 Jan 2;24(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s12876-023-03102-w. PubMed PMID: 38166769; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10759586.
Burns AM, Solch RJ, Dennis-Wall JC, Ukhanova M, Nieves C, Mai V, Christman MC, Gordon DT, Langkamp-Henken B: In healthy adults, resistant maltodextrin produces a greater change in fecal bifidobacteria counts and increases stool wet weight: a double-blind, randomized, controlled crossover study. Nutrition Research 2018, 60:33-42.
