Intestinal interoceptive dysfunction drives age-associated cognitive decline - Nature

A mouse study linked age-related microbiome shifts to inflammation, impaired vagal signalling and hippocampal dysfunction, and showed that targeting this gut–brain pathway can restore memory in aged mice. New cross-species transcriptomic analyses identify conserved ageing signatures and modular hallmarks that include inflammation and metabolic pathways, supporting the idea that the gut–brain changes reflect broader, conserved ageing programs. The neurologist's lifestyle advice emphasizes diet and gut health as components of brain protection, while noting that translation to humans still requires further study.