Dr Malav Trivedi

Research Interests:

Dr Malav Trivedi is a Post-doctoral Fellow at Northeastern University, USA.  His doctoral research produced new evidence for the ability of morphine and food-derived opiate peptides (gluten and casein, found in wheat and milk) to affect synthesis of the antioxidant glutathione, with consequences for oxidative stress, DNA methylation and gene expression.  Abnormally high amounts of these peptides have been reported in blood and urine samples from people with certain neurodevelopmental disorders, notably autism and schizophrenia.  His results indicate that opioids and food-derived opioid peptides induce oxidative stress and epigenetic changes which might affect development and neuroplasticity. These findings are also relevant to the reported health benefits of a gluten-free/casein-free (GF/CF) diet. Malav is now working on further characterization of epigenetic and transcriptional changes in brain cells produced by food-derived opiate peptides, and their potential significance for neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders.