How the stomach helps the brain form memories

Foods high in fat and sugar prompted particularly strong memory-related brain activity. (Image Source: Pixabay.)

How the stomach helps the brain form memories

A newly discovered gut-brain connection turns meals into memories, and may offer novel ways to protect cognitive health.

ByUSC Dornsife News July 27, 2026

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When French writer Marcel Proust famously recalled his childhood from the taste of a Madeline cookie, his stomach may have done some of the work.

We generally associate our memories almost exclusively with the brain, which we imagine both forms and stores them. New research led by Scott Kanoski, professor of biological sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has found that our gut may also play an important role in helping us to remember experiences, especially those revolving around food.

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