How Food Choices Shape Memory, Cognition & Cravings | Dr. Scott Kanoski
Dr. Scott Kanoski joins Andrew Huberman to discuss how dietary choices, gut signaling, and metabolic hormones shape memory and appetite. They explore the neurological mechanisms of GLP-1 drugs, the developmental risks of high-sugar and ultra-processed diets on hippocampal function, and the gut-brain vagal pathways that translate feeding into neural plasticity.
- Tasting sweet flavors triggers an early cephalic phase insulin release before calories ever reach the gastrointestinal tract. Read →
- Native GLP-1 works through two separate systems: peripheral release from intestinal L cells during digestion and central release from brainstem neurons. Read →
- Sugar intake doubles Parabacteroides in rodent guts, and transferring these microbes into unexposed subjects creates memory deficits on its own. Read →
- Nutrient intake triggers a tripartite neural circuit traveling from sensory vagal fibers in the gut to the brainstem, through the medial septum, and into the hippocampus. Read →
- Sugar intake matching the concentration of a standard soft drink causes long-term hippocampal memory deficits in animal models, even when rodents have access to healthy food. Read →