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"Taste Perception physiology."
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Tuning the value of sweet food: Blocking sweet taste receptors increases the devaluation effect in a go/no-go task
Despite the apparent simplicity of the go/no-go (GNG) task, in which individuals selectively respond or withhold responses, there is strong evidence supporting its efficacy in terms of modulating food preferences. Herein, we manipulated sweet taste perception and investigated the no-go devaluation effect that is typically observed due to GNG training with respect to sweet and savory food items. Prior to engaging in a GNG task, one group of participants rinsed their mouths with a liquid solution containing gymnemic acid, thereby transiently and selectively inhibiting sweet taste perception, while another group used a placebo solution. The participants who rinsed their mouths with gymnemic acid exhibited a stronger overall decrease in food evaluations from pre to post training. Furthermore, a pronounced no-go devaluation effect was observed for sweet foods, irrespective of the rinsing solution. Overall, our results support the notion that training in the GNG task can induce changes in the valuation of food stimuli, particularly for sweet foods.
Journal Article
The expectations humans have of a pleasurable sensation asymmetrically shape neuronal responses and subjective experiences to hot sauce
Expectations shape our perception, profoundly influencing how we interpret the world. Positive expectations about sensory stimuli can alleviate distress and reduce pain (e.g., placebo effect), while negative expectations may heighten anxiety and exacerbate pain (e.g., nocebo effect). To investigate the impact of the (an)hedonic aspect of expectations on subjective experiences, we measured neurobehavioral responses to the taste of hot sauce among participants with heterogeneous taste preferences. By identifying participants who “liked” versus those who strongly “disliked” spicy flavors and by providing contextual cues about the spiciness of the sauce to be tasted, we dissociated the effects of positive and negative expectations from sensory stimuli (i.e., visual and gustatory stimuli), which were the same across all participants. Our results indicate that positive expectations lead to modulations in the intensity of subjective experience. These modulations were accompanied by increased activity in brain regions previously linked to information integration and the placebo effect, including the anterior insula, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, as well as a predefined “pleasure signature.” In contrast, negative expectations decreased hedonic experience and increased neural activity in the previously validated “Neurological Pain Signature” network. These findings demonstrate that hedonic aspects of one’s expectations asymmetrically shape how the brain processes sensory input and associated behavioral reports of one’s subjective experiences of intensity, pleasure, and pain. Our results suggest a dissociable impact of hedonic information: positive expectations facilitate higher-level information integration and reward processing, while negative expectations prime lower-level nociceptive and affective processes. This study demonstrates the powerful role of hedonic expectations in shaping subjective reality and suggests potential avenues for consumer and therapeutic interventions targeting expectation-driven neural processes.
Journal Article
The impact of cognitive distraction on gustatory perception in volunteers with obesity
Obesity, a global health challenge, is influenced by biological, behavioral, socioeconomical, and environmental factors. In our technology-driven world, distracted eating is prevalent, yet neurocognitive mechanisms behind it remain poorly understood. This study targets individuals with overweight and obesity, exploring taste perception under distraction comprehensively. Participants formed two distinct groups based on their Body Mass Index (BMI), lean and overweight/obese. During the experiment participants received gustatory stimuli while playing a Tetris game of various difficulty levels. Participants rated taste intensity and pleasantness, with linear mixed models analyzing distraction effects. Results confirmed that high distraction levels reduced perception of taste intensity (
p
= 0.017) and taste pleasantness (
p
= 0.022), with variations influenced by gender and weight status. Individuals in the overweight/obese group exhibited most profound intensity changes during distraction (
p
= 0.01). Taste sensitivity ratings positively correlated with BMI interacting with gender (male r = 0.227,
p
< 0.001; female r = 0.101,
p
< 0.001). Overall across both groups, female participants demonstrated higher taste sensitivity compared to male participants (
p
< 0.001). This study highlights the impact of cognitive distraction during consumption on taste perception, particularly in relation to weight status and gender, underscoring their significant roles in this interplay.
Journal Article
Salt Taste Sensitivity and Heart Failure Outcomes Following Heart Failure Hospitalization
Salt taste sensitivity can change after heart failure (HF) hospitalization, however the relation between changes in salt taste sensitivity with HF symptoms, biomarkers, and outcomes is unknown. We assessed salt taste sensitivity over 12 weeks following HF hospitalization using a validated, point-of-care salt taste test. Subjects were divided into 2 groups: increase or no increase in salt taste sensitivity. HF biomarkers and outcomes were compared using 2-sample t tests and log-transformed t tests for non-normally distributed parameters. Baseline characteristics generally did not differ for subjects with an increase in salt taste sensitivity over 12 weeks compared with those without an increase in salt taste sensitivity. The total number of 12-week hospital days was 60 versus 121 days, with an average number of hospital days of 5.45 [3.88] versus 11.00 [6.74] (p = 0.03) among those hospitalized in the groups with an increase versus no increase in salt taste sensitivity, respectively. In conclusion, changes in salt taste sensitivity occurred in some but not all subjects in a 12-week period following HF hospitalization. Subjects with increased salt taste sensitivity over this time period were rehospitalized for fewer days. Improved salt taste sensitivity may represent a novel prognostic factor in postdischarge patients with HF.
Journal Article
Suppression of Oral Sweet Sensations during Consumption of Sweet Food in Humans: Effects on Gastric Emptying Rate, Glycemic Response, Appetite, Food Satisfaction and Desire for Basic Tastes
Suppression of oral sweet sensation (OSS) acutely reduces intake of sweet-tasting food due to lower liking. However, little is known about other physiological responses during both the prandial and postprandial phase. Here, we explored the effects of Gymnema sylvestre (GS)-based suppression of OSS of several types of sweet-tasting food (muffin, sweet yogurt, banana) on gastric emptying, blood glucose (BG), plasma insulin (PI), appetite indices (hunger, fullness and prospective consumption), satisfaction and desire for tastes. Fifteen healthy subjects (22 ± 3 years, 9 women) took part in the study. Subjects rinsed their mouth with either GS solution or distilled water before eating the sweet-tasting food. Subjects felt decreased sweet taste intensity and reduced taste liking associated with GS rinsing after consuming each food, compared with rinsing with distilled water (p < 0.05). Gastric emptying, BG, PI and appetite indices during and after the prandial phase did not significantly change with GS rinsing compared to rinsing with distilled water (p > 0.05). Higher desire for sweet taste as well as lower satisfaction (p < 0.05) in the postprandial phase were observed with GS rinsing. These results suggest that the suppression of OSS does not affect gastric emptying, glycemic response and appetite during and after consumption of sweet-tasting food.
Journal Article
Food Consciousness Intervention Improves Interoceptive Sensitivity and Expression of Exteroception in Women
The perception of the body’s internal state (interoception) and the perception and processing of environmental sensory stimuli (exteroception) act together to modulate adaptive behaviour, including eating behaviour, and are related to bodyweight control. This study evaluated the impact of the Food and Nutrition Education Program with Sensory and Cognitive Exercises on interoceptive sensitivity and on the expression of exteroceptive perception in women who experienced difficulty in controlling their body weight. Thirty-seven women were randomized into two groups and evaluated at two moments: before and after the intervention or before and after a 3- to 4-week waiting period. A heartbeat tracking task was used for interoception evaluation. Participants were asked to write a text describing three foods after tasting them for exteroception evaluation. After the intervention, the participants showed an increase in interoceptive sensitivity, and an increase in the expression of exteroceptive stimuli perception through a semantic assessment of their writing related to the tasting experience. In addition, the results point to a possible connection between the mechanisms governing interoception and exteroception. This work brings important contributions to the search for strategies capable of promoting the perception and integration of physiological and environmental stimuli in food consumption.
Journal Article
Consumption of caloric and non-caloric versions of a soft drink differentially affects brain activation during tasting
Sensory-specific satiety, which is defined as a relative decrease in pleasantness, is increased by greater oro-sensory stimulation. Both sensory-specific satiety and pleasantness affect taste activation in the orbitofrontal cortex. In contrast, metabolic satiety, which results from energy intake, is expected to modulate taste activation in reward areas. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the amount of oro-sensory stimulation and energy content on consumption-induced changes in taste activation. Ten men participated in a 2×2 randomized crossover study. Subjects were scanned twice using functional magnetic resonance imaging: after fasting for at least 2h and after treatment, on four occasions. Treatment consisted of the ingestion of 450mL of orangeade (sweetened with 10% sucrose or non-caloric sweeteners) at 150mL/min, with either small (5mL) or large (20mL) sips. During scanning, subjects alternately tasted orangeade, milk and tomato juice and rated its pleasantness. Before and after the scans, subjects rated pleasantness, prospective consumption, desire to eat and sweetness for all tastants. Main findings were that, before treatment, the amygdala was activated more by non-caloric than by caloric orangeade. Caloric orangeade activated part of the striatum before, but not after treatment. We observed no main effects of sip size on taste activation and no interaction between sip size and caloric content. In conclusion, the brain responds differentially to caloric and non-caloric versions of a sweet drink and consumption of calories can modulate taste activation in the striatum. Further research is needed to confirm that the observed differences are due to caloric content and not to (subliminal) differences in the sensory profile. In addition, implications for the effectiveness of non-caloric sweeteners in decreasing energy intake need to be established.
►The human brain differentially responds to caloric and non-caloric versions of a sweet soft drink. ►The amygdala responds differently to caloric and non-caloric versions of a soft drink before consumption. ►Unlike an artificially sweetened drink, consumption of a sucrose-containing drink modulates taste activation in the striatum.
Journal Article
Differential coding of perception in the world’s languages
Is there a universal hierarchy of the senses, such that some senses (e.g., vision) are more accessible to consciousness and linguistic description than others (e.g., smell)? The long-standing presumption in Western thought has been that vision and audition are more objective than the other senses, serving as the basis of knowledge and understanding, whereas touch, taste, and smell are crude and of little value. This predicts that humans ought to be better at communicating about sight and hearing than the other senses, and decades of work based on English and related languages certainly suggests this is true. However, how well does this reflect the diversity of languages and communities worldwide? To test whether there is a universal hierarchy of the senses, stimuli from the five basic senses were used to elicit descriptions in 20 diverse languages, including 3 unrelated sign languages. We found that languages differ fundamentally in which sensory domains they linguistically code systematically, and how they do so. The tendency for better coding in some domains can be explained in part by cultural preoccupations. Although languages seem free to elaborate specific sensory domains, some general tendencies emerge: for example, with some exceptions, smell is poorly coded. The surprise is that, despite the gradual phylogenetic accumulation of the senses, and the imbalances in the neural tissue dedicated to them, no single hierarchy of the senses imposes itself upon language.
Journal Article
Physiological Integration of Taste and Metabolism
Much of what we learned in school about how we taste is wrong. Progress in understanding how taste works is providing insights that may help in the management of obesity, diabetes, and other illnesses.
Journal Article