The stomach helps the brain form memories—this is how it may work

MedicalXpress | Jul 27, 2026

When French writer Marcel Proust famously recalled his childhood from the taste of a Madeleine cookie, his stomach may have done some of the work. We generally associate our memories almost exclusively with the brain, which we imagine 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 remember experiences, especially those involving food.