{
  "id": 17772,
  "title": "Neuroscientists pinpoint how smells bring back childhood memories",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/29/neuroscientists-pinpoint-how-smells-bring-back-childhood-memories",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-07-29T11:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Scientific American",
    "slug": "scientific-american",
    "url": "https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/neuroscientists-pinpoint-how-smells-bring-back-childhood-memories/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Neuroscientists have discovered the brain mechanism behind how smells can trigger vivid childhood memories, known as the \"Proust's madeleine phenomenon.\" This concept was famously depicted in Marcel Proust's 1906 novel \"À la recherche du temps perdu\" (In Search of Lost Time) and even appeared on The Sopranos. The phenomenon is believed to be encoded in specific brain regions, particularly \"granule\" cells in the olfactory bulb, which are responsible for capturing pleasurable smells during a person's first decade. Researchers from the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center in France surveyed over 600 volunteers and found that the majority had recalled pleasant childhood experiences through this phenomenon. To investigate further, the team exposed mice to pleasant natural scents during their early developmental stage, a period that corresponds to early childhood in humans. Mice with functional granule cells were attracted to these scents, while those with silenced granule cells showed no interest. This confirms that the early exposure to specific smells creates \"privileged connections\" with brain areas associated with pleasure and reward. While the study highlights the role of pleasant childhood memories, it also acknowledges that negative experiences may be equally significant. Physical chemist Hervé This, from AgroParisTech-INRAE International Center for Molecular and Physical Gastronomy, welcomes the research but suggests that future studies should explore the impact of unpleasant childhood memories as well. Biophysicist Luca Turin of the University of Buckingham cautions that other senses may also evoke strong memories, and the unique ability of smell to trigger such vivid recollections might be an illusion, as it requires exact sensory input.",
  "summary": "Smell can bring back vivid childhood memories—the so-called Proust’s madeleine phenomenon—and neuroscientists now think they know why",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}