A new study in mice published March 11 2026 from researchers at Stanford Medicine and the Palo Alto, California-based Arc Institute, identified a critical link between our gut bacteria and cognitive decline. According to Stanford professor of pathology Dr. Christof Thaiss, gastrointestinal tract is a critical regulator of memory decline.
Little is still known about the information superhighway known as the vagus nerve, which sends signals from your gut straight to your brain, favoring some gut bacteria over others.
The mouse study showed changes in our gut microbiome with age. These changes lead to an inflammatory response that hampers the ability of the vagus nerve to signal the hippocampus. Adds Thaiss, “we can enhance memory formation and brain activity by changing the composition of the gastrointestinal tract,” potentially leading to remedies for cognitive decline.
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/03/gut-brain-cognitive-decline.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10191-6
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