Carol L. Cheatham, PhD
Associate Professor, Psychology & Neuroscience
carol_cheatham@unc.edu
704-250-5010
Lab Website
An important member of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute’s research team, Carol L. Cheatham, PhD, focuses on how nutrition can improve children’s brain function. Specifically, her team studies the importance of nutrients for the development of memory and attention abilities.
Broadly defined, Dr. Cheatham’s research focuses on the relationship between an individual’s genome and the metabolism of nutrients, and how this leads to differences in cognitive and social development. Specifically, she is interested in the development of memory and attention as they are the basis for learning, and therefore school readiness. For example, her research asks if the supplementation of children’s diets with omega-3 fatty acids have an effect on their memory abilities over a determined period of time. Many different methods and tools are used in the Cheatham lab to assess abilities, including taking turns with the children building unique toys and the use of special equipment to read their brain activity while they are watching pictures on a computer screen.
“Dr. Cheatham is an expert on the importance of omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils) for normal brain development,” said NRI Director Steven Zeisel, MD, PhD, “This is an exciting and promising area of research that is changing the way women eat during pregnancy and lactation.”
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Daniella Carballo
Research Assistant, Cheatham Lab
Daniella, a graduate from the University of Oregon, holds a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology. Driven by a profound passion for psychiatric research, she aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Neuroscience. Her goal is to conduct groundbreaking research and educate future generations in higher education, contributing significantly to the field.
Elizabeth Hommel
Social Media Manager, Cheatham Lab
Elizabeth joined the Cheatham team in January 2024 as an intern. Currently a senior at Belmont Abbey College, she is pursuing her BS in Biology, with a minor in chemistry, and is passionate about learning more in the clinical research field. She is also a part of the women’s lacrosse team at Belmont Abbey. In her free time she likes to exercise, read, and spend time with friends and family.
Mandi Rider
Lab Manager, Cheatham Lab
Mandi graduated from Transylvania University in Lexington, KY in May 2023 with a BA in Neuroscience with a Biology Emphasis and a Minor in Sociology. Originally from New Holland, PA, she is excited to be living in warmer weather and to have the opportunity to work in the Cheatham Lab. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exercising, staying in touch with her friends and family, and is learning to crochet.
Nutrition Decisions in a Conflicting World: Eggs-actly the Issue
April 18, 2019 – How are we expected to make healthy choices about food when the headlines are so confusing? We all suffer whiplash when we read butter is bad, then butter is good; when red meat is bad, then red meat is good; when red wine is good, and then it is bad….so, what is the headline du jour?
February Faculty Focus: Carol L. Cheatham, PhD
February 11, 2019 – That Carol L. Cheatham, PhD was a scientist was clear to her family early on. At the age of 8 growing up on a farm in rural Wyoming, Cheatham conducted observational studies following the many farm cats around to find out (and diligently record in her notebook) where they would give birth. Once that got boring, she started trying to predict where the litters would be born based on her observations from the previous years.
The Choices I.C.A.N. Make
January 25, 2019 – Pregnant women are often consumed by dietary choices such as finding a great prenatal vitamin, eating foods that will promote fetal growth, and doing everything they can to protect their pregnancy. After delivery, however, the mother’s preoccupation with her diet often pauses for four to six months. The Cheatham Nutrition & Cognition Lab is turning this type of thinking on its head with the belief that what women eat while breastfeeding greatly impacts their breastmilk and ultimately, their children’s development.
Choline in Human Milk Plays a Crucial Role in Infant Memory
October 3, 2018 – Choline is present in human milk, and is especially important for fetal and infant development [2,3]. “The hint that choline is important for infant development comes from the fact that in human milk, the supply of choline remains constant across the first year of life,” says Professor Carol Cheatham from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Other important nutrients, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are present in large quantities initially, but often level off after a few months.
2023
Cheatham, C.L., Lukowski, A.F., Bauer, P.J. (2023). Infant memory. In John H. Byrne (Ed.), Learning and Memory: A Comprehensive Reference (Second Edition), Academic Press, 2017, Pages 383–402, ISBN 9780128052914, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.21052-3.
2022
*Camerota, M., *Wylie, A.C., *Goldblum, J., *Wideman, L., Cheatham, C.L., Propper, C.B. (2022) Testing a cascade model linking prenatal inflammation to child executive function. Behav Brain Res. 431:113959. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113959. Epub 2022 Jun 8. PMID: 35690156.
Cheatham, C.L., *Canipe, L.G. III, Millsap, G., Stegall, J.M., Chai, S.C., *Sheppard, K.W., Lila, M.A. (2022). Six-month intervention with wild blueberries improved speed of processing in mild cognitive decline: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Nutr Neurosci.6:1-15. doi: 10.1080/1028415X.2022.2117475. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36066009.
Cheatham, C.L., Nieman, D.C., Neilson, A.P., Lila, M.A. (2022). Enhancing the cognitive effects of flavonoids with physical activity : Is there a case for the microbiome? Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.833202
(*Student)
2021
*Canipe III, L. G., *Sioda, M., & Cheatham, C.L. (2021). Diversity of the gut-microbiome related to cognitive behavioral outcomes in healthy older adults. Archives of Gerontology & Geriatrics, 96,104464 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2021.104464
(*Student)
2020
Cheatham, C.L. (2020). Nutrigenetics, Fatty Acids, & Cognition, In Caterina, Martinez, & Kohlmeier (Eds.). Principles of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics: Fundamentals of Individualized Nutrition (pp. 347-354), London, UK: Academic Press.
Cheatham, C.L. (2020). Nutritional factors in fetal and infant brain development. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 75, 20-32. doi: 10.1159/000508052