Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42236727›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

The vagus nerve promotes memory in rats via nutrient-induced septo-hippocampal acetylcholine signaling.

Logan Tierno Lauer, Anna M R Hayes, Andrea N Suarez, Alexander Bashaw, Molly E Klug, Alicia E Kao, Robert Cheng, Jessica J Rea, Keshav S Subramanian, Anna Nourbash and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Logan Tierno LauerHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7473-7054
Anna M R HayesHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Andrea N SuarezHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Alexander BashawHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Molly E KlugHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Alicia E KaoHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Robert ChengHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Jessica J ReaHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7671-936X
Keshav S SubramanianHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Anna NourbashHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Kristen N DonohueHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Lindsey A SchierHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Kevin MyersDepartment of Psychology, O'Leary Center, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, USA.
Léa Décarie-SpainHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. lea.decarie-spain@umontreal.ca.
Scott E KanoskiHuman and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. kanoski@usc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9526-206X

Funding

Higher-Order Neural Control of Food IntakeR01DK104897 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI KANOSKI, SCOTT EDWARD · 2015 to 2024
$4.3M
Interactions between diet and cognitionR01DK123423 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Scott Edward Kanoski · 2019 to 2026
$3.4M
Neurobiological mechanisms of Western diet-induced cognitive dysfunctionF32AG077932 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI HAYES, ANNA MARIE ROSE · 2022 to 2024
$185k
Vagus nerve modulation of hippocampus function.F31AG092136 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Logan Tierno Lauer · 2025 to 2026
$100k
Hippocampal dopamine signaling and food-related memory: implications for obesityF31DK142526 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Alexander Grimke Bashaw · 2025 to 2026
$100k
NIA NIH HHS F31 AG092136NIA NIH HHS F32 AG077932NIDDK NIH HHS F31 DK142526NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK104897NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK123423U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases) DK123423
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The vagus nerve relays critical metabolic information between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. Recent findings highlight a role for vagus nerve-mediated gut-brain signaling in regulating higher-order cognitive processes, although the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we demonstrate in male rats that nutrient consumption promotes hippocampal-dependent memory function via vagus nerve-mediated acetylcholine (ACh) release in the dorsal hippocampus (HPCd) from medial septum (MS) neurons. In vivo fiber photometry analyses reveal that HPCd ACh release is engaged during nutrient consumption. This response was abolished in animals that received MS cholinergic neuron ablation, subdiaphragmatic vagotomy (SDV), or early-life Western Diet (WD) maintenance. MS cholinergic neuron ablation, SDV, and WD impaired memory for meal location, suggesting that this signaling pathway functions to promote memories for eating events. Collectively, results identify a neurobiological mechanism whereby nutrient consumption enhances memory function and suggest that disruption of this vagal-brain signaling system mediates WD-associated memory impairments.

Indexed as

AcetylcholineHippocampusMemoryNutrientsVagus NerveAnimalsCholinergic NeuronsDiet, WesternMaleRatsSignal TransductionVagotomyAcetylcholine

Identifiers

PMID42236727
PMCPMC13396592

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.