TASTE PSYCHOPHYSICS

品味心理物理学

• 批准号: 6516053
• 负责人: LINDA MAY BARTOSHUK
• 金额: $ 38.35万
• 依托单位: YALE UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1989
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1989-12-01 至 2004-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6516053
• 关键词: chorda tympani; clinical research; cranial nerves; genetic susceptibility; human subject; nerve injury; neurogenetics; oral facial pain; psychophysics; sensory mechanism; taste; taste buds; taste disorders; taste threshold; tongue

DESCRIPTION: (Author's Abstract) The long-term goal of this research is to understand the influence of genetic and pathological variation in taste sensations on health and quality of life. Humans show genetic variation in taste. This variation is characterized by the number of fungiform papillae (structures that house taste buds) and the ability to taste the bitterness of PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil). Because the fungiform papillae receive innervation from taste, pain, and touch neurons, those who have the highest number of papillae (i.e., supertasters) perceive more intense taste, oral burn (e.g., chilis) and oral touch (e.g., fat) sensations. Genetic taste variation is linked to distaste for bitter foods and preference for sweet and far foods (this includes fruits and vegetables, foods that are important mediators of cardiovascular disease and cancer). Genetic taste variation is also linked to alcoholism and smoking. Pathologies involving the chorda tympani nerve are linked to oral phantoms (sensations in the absence of stimulation); these occur for taste (dysgeusia) and oral pain (burning mouth syndrome). The hypothesis under evaluation is that the chorda tympani nerve (taste, anterior tongue) normally inhibits the glossopharyngeal nerve (taste, posterior tongue) and the trigeminal nerve (pain, anterior tongue). Damage to the chorda tympani thus releases that inhibition leading to intensified taste and pain sensations as well as phantoms (e.g., dysgeusia, burning mouth syndrome) in susceptible individuals. Susceptible individuals appear to be those who have the densest taste and pain innervation (i.e., supertasters). The proposal includes psychophysical and anatomical experiments. One group of experiments will use recent advances in psychophysical methodology and taste anatomy to determine the magnitude of oral sensory differences across nontasters, medium tasters and supertasters. Additional experiments will test the hypothesized release of inhibition on taste and oral burn. The chorda tympani will be anesthetized in normal volunteers. Patients will include those with acoustic neuromas in whom the chorda tympani must necessarily be surgically severed central to its cell bodies; the nerve will degenerate from the cut into the brain possibly leading to central reorganization. Patients will also include those with mastoidectomies or stapedectomies in whom the chorda tympani must necessarily be severed peripheral to the cell bodies; the nerve will degenerate from the cut into the tongue possibly altering peripheral anatomy. A final group of patients are those with taste and/or oral pain phantoms; they will be evaluated for possible damage to the chorda tympani nerve.

描述：（作者摘要）这项研究的长期目标是了解味觉的遗传和病理变异对健康和生活质量的影响。人类的味觉表现出遗传变异。这种变异的特点是菌状乳头（容纳味蕾的结构）的数量和品尝 PROP（6-正丙基硫氧嘧啶）苦味的能力。由于菌状乳头接受味觉、疼痛和触觉神经元的神经支配，因此乳头数量最多的人（即味觉超强者）会感知到更强烈的味觉、口腔灼烧感（例如辣椒）和口腔触觉（例如脂肪）感觉。遗传味觉变异与对苦味食物的厌恶和对甜味和远味食物的偏好有关（包括水果和蔬菜，以及心血管疾病和癌症的重要介质的食物）。遗传味觉变异也与酗酒和吸烟有关。涉及鼓索神经的病理与口腔幻觉（没有刺激时的感觉）有关；这些症状是由于味觉（味觉障碍）和口腔疼痛（灼口综合症）而发生的。正在评估的假设是鼓索神经（味觉，前舌）通常抑制舌咽神经（味觉，后舌）和三叉神经（疼痛，前舌）。因此，鼓索损伤会释放这种抑制作用，导致易感个体的味觉和疼痛感以及幻觉（例如味觉障碍、灼口综合征）增强。易受影响的个体似乎是那些味觉和疼痛神经支配最密集的人（即味觉超强者）。该提案包括心理物理学和解剖学实验。一组实验将利用心理物理学方法和味觉解剖学的最新进展来确定非味觉者、中等味觉者和超级味觉者口腔感官差异的程度。额外的实验将测试假设的味觉和口腔灼烧感抑制的释放。正常志愿者的鼓索将被麻醉。患者包括患有听神经瘤的患者，必须通过手术将其细胞体中央的鼓索切断；神经会因大脑的切口而退化，可能导致中枢重组。患者还包括那些接受乳突切除术或镫骨切除术的患者，其中鼓索必须在细胞体周围被切断；神经会因舌头的切口而退化，可能会改变周围的解剖结构。最后一组患者是那些有味觉和/或口腔疼痛幻觉的患者。他们将接受评估是否可能对鼓索神经造成损害。