Scientists have identified 'meal memory' neurons in the ventral hippocampus of lab rats, which are responsible for forming detailed memories of meals, including what was eaten and when.

These neurons create 'meal engrams,' specialized memory traces that act like biological databases for meal-related information.

The formation of these meal engrams happens during brief pauses between bites, when rats survey their environment, suggesting similar processes may occur in humans.

Research shows that destroying these meal memory neurons impairs rats' ability to remember food locations without affecting other memory types, highlighting their specific role.

These neurons communicate with the lateral hypothalamus, a brain region that controls hunger, and disrupting this connection leads to overeating and poor meal recall.

Distractions like watching TV or using phones during meals can weaken meal engrams, impair memory encoding, and potentially contribute to overeating.

The study, published in Nature Communications, used advanced neuroscience techniques to observe real-time brain activity during eating.

The findings suggest that enhancing meal memory formation could offer new strategies for treating obesity and promoting healthier eating habits.