Linnea Freeman

Dr. Linnea Freeman is an Associate Professor of Biology and Neuroscience at Furman University, where she leads the Nutritional Neuroscience laboratory. Her research focuses on understanding how high saturated fat diets impair brain function, particularly examining neuroinflammation, blood-brain-barrier integrity, and cognitive decline. She holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Medical University of South Carolina and completed postdoctoral training at Louisiana State University and the Medical University of South Carolina, where she also served as an Adjunct Professor in Biology and Psychology.

Dr. Freeman's academic journey includes a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, where she received the Dean Slakey Award for Research. Her work has been supported by grants including a National Institute of Aging Predoctoral NRSA Award and a K12 Career Development Program grant studying sex differences in food reward seeking.

Her research portfolio spans over 20 peer-reviewed publications, with a focus on mechanisms linking diet to neurodegeneration, including studies on Alzheimer's disease, obesity-related brain pathology, and the gut-brain axis. Key findings include identifying how high-fat diets disrupt hippocampal function and exacerbate inflammation in aging rats.

• Awards: Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Dean Slakey Award, NIA F31 NRSA Grant, BIRCWH K12 Grant
• Teaching: Taught courses in Neurobiology, Neuropsychopharmacology, and introductory Biology
• Labs: Current projects investigate diet-microbiota interactions and blood-brain barrier integrity in cognitive health