# Memory in the enteric nervous system

> **NIH NIH DP1** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2024 · $747,500

## Abstract

Project summary
The formation of memories is central to the human condition. It enables learning and the accumulation of knowledge over
the lifespan, and it allows using the past in order to inform the future. While the mechanisms underlying the neural basis
of memory have been extensively studied in the brain, whether memory exists in the peripheral nervous system, and in
particular the enteric nervous system (ENS), remains unknown, representing a fundamental gap in our knowledge of
peripheral neuroscience and gastrointestinal physiology. The goal of this study is to address this fundamental question.
Our proposal is based on exciting preliminary evidence for the existence of memory in the ENS. We have observed the
formation of enteric neural engrams in response to gastrointestinal stimuli and have characterized the molecular,
temporal, and functional characteristics of these engrams. We now aim to build the tools required for studying the
formation and meaning of ENS memories. We will then use these tools in combination with microbial, xenobiotic, and
dietary perturbations in animal models, in order to transform our understanding of numerous functions and diseases of
the gastrointestinal tract through the lens of enteric neural engrams. This project will impact the study of gastrointestinal
and metabolic diseases in three major ways: First, it will uncover a fundamentally new aspect of ENS biology. Memory
formation in the brain has been studied for decades, and its proper function is critical for organismal survival.
Understanding the memory capacity of the ENS would enable us to add several new layers to the canonical functions of
enteric neurons. Second, our study will provide new insights into the nature of memory. Memory formation is generally
studied in response to sensory information (neuroscience) or antigen exposure (immunology). Our investigations will
extend this concept, by highlighting biotic and abiotic gastrointestinal triggers of memory formation. Third, our study may
provide the conceptual framework for an entirely new approach to treating diseases associated with the gastrointestinal
tract – one that focuses on information stored in enteric neurons.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10937705
- **Project number:** 1DP1DK140021-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Christoph Alexander Thaiss
- **Activity code:** DP1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $747,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-15 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10937705

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10937705, Memory in the enteric nervous system (1DP1DK140021-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10937705. Licensed CC0.

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